


Tangled

by The_Sassiest_Trixster



Series: NCT [7]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angel/Demon Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Tangled (2010), M/M, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 24,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23685043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sassiest_Trixster/pseuds/The_Sassiest_Trixster
Summary: When the kingdom's most-wanted bandit, Huang "Lucas" Xuxi, hides in a convenient tower, he immediately becomes a captive to Kim Jungwoo, the spire's longtime resident. Born with magical powers, Jungwoo has been locked away for years, desperately wanting freedom. The feisty and sarcastic young man strikes a deal with Lucas and together they begin a whirlwind adventure.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: NCT [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668625
Comments: 42
Kudos: 75





	1. Stolen

Once upon a time, in the realm of Albion lived a small kingdom, and that kingdom was ruled by a lovely king and queen. And this queen, well, she was about to have a baby, but a few weeks before she was due, she became sick. Very sick. She was running out of time and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower, one that grew from a small drop of sun that could heal the sick and injured, which is exactly what the queen needed. However, this flower was guarded fiercely by a tall man with greying brown hair, wrinkled fair skin, and dull brown eyes. This man, by the name of Lee Taeyong, horded the flowers magic and used it for himself to turn beautiful. One night, Taeyong was lazy and did not guard his flower as ferociously like he normally did, mainly because it had been years since anyone had gone looking for the flower and after a while, people just forgot about it. Anyway, he left the flower unattended, and soon palace guards found the flower and brought it back to the queen, dissolving it in hot water before giving it to her to drink. She was healed and soon gave birth to a healthy baby boy by the name of Kim Jungwoo. To celebrate his birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended, for that night, a wrinkled and old Taeyong slipped into the bedchamber and walked over to where Jungwoo’s crib was, standing before it.

“Oh, aren’t you just precious” he sneered as he looked down at the baby boy. As he reached down to touch him, Jungwoo’s eyes opened, and much to Taeyong’s shock, they were glowing.

_‘_ _Could it be?’_ he thought to himself as he held out a wrinkled finger to the child, watching as Jungwoo grasped onto his finger, sending the healing powers of the flower into him, transforming him into a tall young man with light skin, light brown hair, and brown eyes. Taeyong gasped and as soon as he removed his finger from the babe’s grasp, he felt the magic slip away, reverting him to his old, haggard self.

_‘_ _I need my youth…I need to feel young…and this child has the powers to give it to me…so…’_ he thought to himself as he looked over at the sleeping king and queen before he reached down into the crib and scooped Jungwoo into his arms, who began to wail loudly. The king and queen awoke with a start and looked towards the window where they saw Taeyong with Jungwoo in his arms and that was the last time they ever saw their child again. 

~*~*~*~*~

Deep in the dark forests of Albion stood a tall tower, and within that tall tower, Taeyong raised Jungwoo as his own.

“Now Jungwoo, there’s something I want you to do for Father” Taeyong cooed, placing the three-year-old in front of him. Jungwoo looked up at him with big brown eyes and tilted his head to the side.

“What’s that?” he asked. Taeyong smiled slightly.

“Father’s feeling a little worn out…” he started when Jungwoo quickly nodded and placed his tiny hands on top of Taeyong’s and shut his eyes, concentrating hard as he sent some of his magic into Taeyong, turning him young once more. Once he was satisfied, Taeyong pulled his hands away and smiled down at Jungwoo, reaching out and gently petting his hair.

“Thank you” he thanked. Jungwoo smiled before he frowned.

“Why can't I go outside?” he asked as his glowing yellow eyes returned to brown. Taeyong looked down at the little boy and smiled.

“The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, flower?” he replied. Jungwoo frowned before lowering his head.

“Yes Father” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, after Taeyong had sent him to bed, Jungwoo waited until he heard Taeyong’s door close before he quietly crept downstairs and rushed over to the window, throwing it open to reveal thousands of lanterns that the King and Queen had released into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost prince would return. He sighed in happiness. They were so beautiful.


	2. When Will My Life Begin?

Years later, up in a tall tower hidden away in a forest, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes looked around the tower before finally deciding to hide up in the rafters, so he unfurled his wings from his back and flew up to one of the beams, landing delicately so that he didn’t make a sound. As he was hiding, a tall young man with light skin, red hair, and brown eyes rushed down the stairs from his bedroom and let out a little laugh.

“Well, I guess hyung’s not hiding out here…” he mused, a knowing smile on his face. The archangel, Kim Doyoung, snickered, but before he knew it, he felt himself falling out of the sky towards the ground, only to stop mid-air before being turned around to face the young man, who was grinning cheekily.

“Gotcha! That’s twenty-two for me. How about twenty-three out of forty-five?” he offered. Doyoung frowned and crossed his arms.

“You’re a cheater, Woo, using your magic like that” he scolded. The young man rolled his eyes as he placed Doyoung down before putting his hands on his hips.

“Okay, Mr. Grumpy Pants, what do you want to do then?” he asked. Doyoung grinned before he motioned to the window, and essentially, the outside world.

“Go out and explore” he replied. The young man’s, Kim Jungwoo, eyes widened and shook his head.

“Yeah, no, I don’t think so. I like it in here and so do you” he stated, giving Doyoung a look. Doyoung just stuck his tongue out at him, making him sigh.

“Oh come on hyung, it’s not that bad in here” he assured as he walked over to a mop, bucket, and broom, tossing the broom over to Doyoung.

“Come on, help me with my chores” he ordered. Doyoung let out a huff but followed Jungwoo’s orders, sweeping the entire tower and throwing the dust out the large window while Jungwoo mopped and polished the freshly swept floors. Once the floors were dry, Jungwoo and Doyoung went to do all of the laundry in the tower and once it was done, Jungwoo looked at the time.

“7:15?!” he exclaimed. Doyoung shook his head.

“There’s no way” he murmured before he walked over to one of the chairs in the tower and sat down. Jungwoo nodded in agreement as he walked over to the other chair that was in the tower and sat down across from Doyoung, waving his hand to summon a book. He then waved his hand again and summoned another book, holding it out to Doyoung.

“Wanna read something?” he asked. Doyoung glanced at him before he shrugged and reached out, grabbing the book from him. The two sat in silence for a while before Doyoung groaned and put the book down, standing up from the chair.

“I’m bored…where are your paints?” he asked, looking over at Jungwoo, who didn’t even look up as he pointed to where he kept his paints, which were next to the fireplace. Doyoung nodded and walked over to it, rummaging through it, searching for the right paint. After a while, Jungwoo looked up from his book before putting it down and pushing himself to his feet, walking over to Doyoung.

“So, what are you going to paint?” he asked. Doyoung glanced over at him and shrugged.

“I have no idea” he replied. Jungwoo chuckled and rolled his eyes before he walked over to the guitar Taeyong had brought him one day and decided to play a few chords, just to make sure that it was still in tune. After he had checked on the guitar, he placed it down and picked up a small basket full of knitting needles and yarn, beginning to knit for a few minutes before he grew bored and put it down.

“Hyung, I’m bored. Come bake with me!” he called out. Doyoung looked over at him before he put down the paints and brushes, since he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to paint yet.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming” he called back, walking over to where Jungwoo was in the kitchen. Once he was there, Jungwoo started to grab ingredients while Doyoung heated up the oven, and soon the two were whipping up a batch of cookie dough before placing it in the oven. They then set the timer for ten minutes and waited for them to bake before Jungwoo took them out and set them on top of the stove to cool. As he let them cool, he turned to see a large wooden decorative piece on top of the tower’s fireplace mantel.

“Hey hyung, look at that” he called out, drawing the archangel’s attention. Doyoung turned to see Jungwoo pointing to the decorative piece and he raised an eyebrow.

“What about it?” he asked. Jungwoo smiled.

“That looks like the perfect place to paint” he declared. Doyoung narrowed his eyes at the piece before he held his thumb up to it, measuring it to see if the space behind it would be a good place to paint.

“You know, you might be onto something” he murmured. Jungwoo beamed before his stomach let out a loud growl. He and Doyoung looked at one another before they both burst out laughing.

“I’ll make some cheese toast” Doyoung offered as he walked over to the fridge and took out some bread and cheese to make their snack. After they had eaten, Jungwoo pulled out some puzzles for them to play, but they soon got bored of that and soon were playing darts. They played darts for a while before that got boring, so Jungwoo decided to work with papier mache and make a large head to scare Doyoung with. Once he had scared the archangel, much to his annoyance, Jungwoo danced around the tower a little before he walked over to a chess board that he and Doyoung had taken out and studied it for a moment before he made his move.

“Checkmate” he muttered under his breath. After he had checkmated Doyoung, Jungwoo created a beautiful clay vase then made a shit-ton of candles with Doyoung because you know, why the hell not? Once he was done with those hobbies, he walked over to the mantel and studied the space above it for a moment.

“Hey hyung, help me out here” he called out. Doyoung looked up from putting away the last of the candles and nodded, putting the rest away before he walked over to him.

“What’s up?” he asked. Jungwoo pointed to the mantel.

“Can’t reach. Too damn short. Help me?” he asked. Doyoung groaned before he unfurled his wings and placed his hands underneath Jungwoo’s armpits, lifting up into the air, lifting Jungwoo off the ground.

“God Woo, you’re heavy” he muttered. Jungwoo narrowed his eyes.

“Shut up” he grumbled as Doyoung placed him down on the mantel. As soon as he was up there, however, he groaned.

“Fuck” he swore. Doyoung raised an eyebrow at him as he descended to the floor.

“What now?” he asked. Jungwoo motioned to his paints.

“They’re so far” he whined. Doyoung rolled his eyes as he walked over to the paint box and picked it up, handing it up to Jungwoo.

“Anything else?” he asked sarcastically. Jungwoo looked down at him and narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, hey, there’s no need to be snippy. And no, I don’t need anything else” he replied. Doyoung chuckled and shook his head as Jungwoo moved the decorative piece that was in front of where his newest masterpiece would go. He then reached down and picked up a brushed, dipping it in paint before beginning to work. He painted for a while, Doyoung flying behind him and offering some artistic advice before he descended to the floor and walked over to his chair and sat down, picking up his discarded book, beginning to read it. After what seemed like hours, Jungwoo let out a shout, startling Doyoung out of his concentration.

“What the hell?!” he exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at his best friend, who was grinning from ear to ear as he pointed to his newest painting.

“What do you think?” he asked. Doyoung raised an eyebrow as he pushed himself out of his chair and walked over to the mantel, looking at the painting.

“What are those?” he asked, pointing to the little boxes of light that were floating in the sky above the beautifully painted trees.

“These are the floating lights that always appear on my birthday ever year. They’re supposed to appear tomorrow night” Jungwoo explained. Doyoung crossed his arms.

“They are?” he asked. Jungwoo nodded as he crouched down and hopped off the mantel, landing on the floor. Once he was down on the ground, he walked over to the balcony that looked out at the world and sighed.

“Do you think Taeyong will let me go see them, since I’m turning eighteen tomorrow?” he asked. Doyoung walked over and stood beside him, looking out at the world with him.

“What do you think?” he replied. Jungwoo sighed and shook his head.

“Probably not” he muttered. Doyoung shrugged.

“Then that’s probably the answer” he replied. Jungwoo let out a groan and let his head fall into his hands. Doyoung couldn’t help but feel bad for his best friend, so he reached out and patted Jungwoo on the back, not really sure how to comfort him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	3. Father Knows Best

The next day, over in the kingdom, three men were scaling the castle. Once they reached the top, one of the men, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes named Huang Xu Xi, known as Lucas, paused and looked over the kingdom. 

“Wow! I could get used to a view like this” he breathed. One of the other men, Huang Guangheng, known as Hendery, a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes, rolled his eyes.

“Lucas! Come on!” he called out. Lucas held up a hand.

“Wait a moment” he ordered as he savored the view for another moment before he turned to face Hendery and other member of their group, Xiao Dejun, known as Xiaojun, a tall young man with light skin, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. 

“I want a castle” he declared. Xiaojun huffed and rolled his eyes as well.

“We do this job, we can all have our own castle” he stated as he walked over to Lucas and wrapped a rope around his waist before lowering him through the large window that overlooked the crown. As he was being lowered, one of the guards that was guarding the crown sneezed.

“Oh, bless you. Hay fever?” he asked as he reached down and picked up the crown, placing it into a satchel.

“Thank you. And yeah” the guard replied. Just then, he realized that there was someone else in the room with him, so he turned to see Lucas smiling at him with the satchel in his hand.

“Wait a minute—” the guard started when Lucas was suddenly lifted back up and out of the window.

“Hey, wait. Hey, wait!” the guard shouted, drawing the other guards into the room. Once Lucas was back on the roof and the crown was in his possession, he and the others scaled down the castle before running like hell.

“Come on guys, pick it up!” Lucas shouted as they continued to run across the bridge that connected the kingdom to a nearby island.

“We’ve gotta lose them!” Xiaojun shouted. Hendery looked over at him and glared.

“What the hell do you think we’re trying to do?!” he shouted back as they continued to run, hoping that they were getting far enough away from the guards.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, up in the tower, Jungwoo was cleaning up his paints while talking to Doyoung, who was helping him clean up as well.

“This is it, hyung. Today is the day. I’m finally gonna do it. I’m gonna ask him” he whispered excitedly.

“Jungwoo! Let down the rope!” a man’s voice called out suddenly. Jungwoo glanced over at Doyoung, a bright smile on his face.

“It’s time” he exclaimed.

“Be cool Jungwoo. You just gotta keep cool” Doyoung reminded. Jungwoo nodded and let out a little laugh.

“I know, I know. Now come on, don’t let him see you” he whispered. Doyoung nodded before he unfurled his wings and shot up into the rafters, landing on one of the beams quietly. 

“Jungwoo, I’m not getting any younger down here” the man’s voice called. Jungwoo rolled his eyes.

“Coming Taeyong” he called as he grabbed a large rope and threw it down over the balcony. Once he felt a tug, he pulled and pulled until Taeyong appeared on the windowsill.

“Welcome home, Taeyong” he greeted. Taeyong smiled and shook his head.

“I don’t know how you manage to do that every single day without fail, Jungwoo! It looks absolutely exhausting” he stated dramatically. Jungwoo shrugged.

“It’s nothing” he replied, just as Taeyong patted him on head like a dog.

“Then I don’t know why it takes so long!” he sang as he walked into the tower. Jungwoo frowned at him, making Taeyong sigh.

“I’m just teasing Jungwoo” he replied. Jungwoo nodded slowly, not entirely sure that he was telling the truth.

“Alright, so Taeyong, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day—” he started when Taeyong dragged him over to a floor-length mirror and pointed to it.

“Jungwoo, look in that mirror. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, and handsome young man” he declared. Jungwoo puffed up a little at the compliment when Taeyong then pointed to him.

“Oh look, you’re here too” he added. Jungwoo’s face immediately fell and Taeyong rolled his eyes, patting Jungwoo’s head again.

“I’m just teasing, Jungwoo! Stop taking everything so seriously” he exclaimed before he stepped towards the mirror and started to play with his skin. Jungwoo frowned before he took a deep breath.

“Okay, so Taeyong, as I was saying, tomorrow—” he started.

“Jungwoo, I’m feeling a little run-down. Would you help me? That’ll do” Taeyong interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. Jungwoo’s eyes widened before he nodded.

“Oh, yeah sure” he replied as he quickly grabbed a large chair and his stool, dragging Taeyong over to the chair. He then sat him down before sitting down in front of him, placing his hands on his knees. He then shut his eyes and began to concentrate very hard, sending a large burst of magic into Taeyong, startling the man.

“Jungwoo!” he exclaimed when Jungwoo pulled his hands away. Jungwoo ignored his scolding tone and grabbed his arm.

“So, Taeyong, earlier I was saying tomorrow’s a pretty big day and you didn’t really respond so I’m just going to tell you, it’s my birthday! Tada!” he exclaimed. Taeyong frowned as he removed Jungwoo’s hands from his arm.

“No, no, no, can’t be. I distinctly remember: your birthday was last year” he stated. Jungwoo rolled his eyes.

“That’s the funny thing about birthdays; they’re kind of an annual thing!” he replied sarcastically before he sighed.

“Look, Taeyong, I’m turning eighteen and I wanted to ask, uh, what I really wanted for this birthday…actually what I really wanted for quite a while—” he muttered under his breath, making Taeyong narrow his eyes at him.

“Jungwoo, please, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah, blah, blah...blah. It’s very annoying. I’m just teasing, you’re adorable. I love you so much, darling” he cooed all in one breath. Jungwoo stared at him for a moment before he shook his head.

“I want to see the floating lights!” he exclaimed, not able to hold in his secret any longer. Taeyong raised an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked. Jungwoo blushed as he stood up and walked over to the mantel, pulling back one of the curtains to reveal his painting.

“Well, I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights” he explained. Taeyong’s eyes widened before he quickly covered up his surprise with a smirk.

“Oh, you mean the stars” he replied. Jungwoo shook his head as he waved his hand over a porthole, which opened to shine light onto a painting of stars.

“That’s the thing, I’ve charted stars and they’re always constant” he explained before he motioned to his painting.

“But these, they appear every year on my birthday. And I can’t help but feel that they’re…they’re meant for me. Only on my birthday” he admitted as he looked over at Taeyong with pleading eyes.

“I need to see them, Taeyong. And not just from my window; in person. I have to know what they are” he begged. Taeyong’s eyes widened.

“You want to go outside?!” he asked, surprised. Jungwoo nodded, making Taeyong shake his head.

“Oh Jungwoo” he cooed as he stood up from his chair and walked over to Jungwoo and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“You’re so young and fragile. You’ll never survive out there” he explained. Jungwoo looked at him with wide eyes.

“You don’t know that!” he exclaimed. Taeyong smirked.

“I don’t know that? I’m your father, Jungwoo, I know everything” he sneered. Jungwoo scoffed.

“I highly fucking doubt that” he grumbled under his breath. Taeyong’s eyes flashed red as he reached out and grabbed Jungwoo’s face in his hand.

“What was that?” he growled. Jungwoo shook his head.

“Nothing” he replied. Taeyong growled again.

“What did you say, Jungwoo?” he demanded. Jungwoo tried to struggle out of his strong grip, but Taeyong just tightened his grip on his face, making him cry out in pain.

“Ow! Let go!” he shouted as he threw out a hand, sending a blast of magic at Taeyong, sending him flying backwards. Taeyong looked at Jungwoo with wide eyes while Jungwoo clutched at his face, tears gleaming in his eyes. Taeyong then narrowed his eyes before he stormed up to Jungwoo, raising his hand before slapping the young man across the face, sending him to the floor.

“How dare you hit your father!” he shouted. Jungwoo stayed on the floor for a moment, completely dazed, before he looked up at him, gently touching his reddening face as tears streamed down his face. When Taeyong realized what he had done, his eyes widened and he quickly got down on his knees in front of Jungwoo, slowly reaching out to him.

“Jungwoo, I’m so sorry” he apologized. Jungwoo flinched away from him, making Taeyong sigh.

“I’m sorry Jungwoo, I really am. I promise not to hit you again. I’m so sorry” he apologized, sounding sincerely sorry. Jungwoo looked at him for a moment, tears still streaming down his face, before he nodded slowly.

“It’s okay” he replied softly. Taeyong then reached out and gently cupped Jungwoo’s face, making sure to touch the cheek that he hadn’t slapped.

“Jungwoo?” he asked. Jungwoo looked up at him.

“Yes?” he replied. Taeyong’s brown eyes hardened as he looked at Jungwoo.

“Don’t ever ask to leave this tower, again” he growled. Jungwoo flinched at his tone before lowering his head.

“Yes Father” he whispered, nodding. Taeyong then sighed before he shook his head.

“I love you very much” he murmured. Jungwoo looked up at him and gave him a weak smile.

“I love you more” he replied.

“I love you most” Taeyong finished, pressing a kiss to Jungwoo’s hair. He then gently caressed Jungwoo’s cheek before he stood to his feet, grabbed her cloak, and walked over to the window, opening it. Jungwoo followed behind him, rope in hand as he fixed the pulley and began slowly lowering him to the ground.

“I’ll see you in a bit, my flower!” he called out as Jungwoo continued to lower him down. Once he was safely on the ground, Jungwoo sadly waved goodbye.

“I’ll be here” he sighed. After Taeyong had left, Jungwoo bit his bottom lip to keep from crying, but his cheek stung like hell and Taeyong had never struck him before, so the shock from that was enough to push him over the edge and make him start to cry. As he was crying, he didn’t see Doyoung descending from the rafters, a look of concern on his face.

“Jungwoo?” he called out. Jungwoo looked over his shoulder at him and Doyoung’s face softened.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Jungwoo bit his lip again before he let out a sob and rushed over to his best friend, burying his face in his chest. Doyoung held him, clutching the back of his shirt tightly as Jungwoo began to cry into his shoulder.

_‘I’m going to kill Taeyong one of these days’_ he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	4. Safe At Last

As Xiaojun, Hendery, and Lucas were running away from the kingdom, Lucas noticed a wanted poster tacked to a tree, making him stop and groan as he looked at the poster.

“Damn it” he grumbled to himself as he took the wanted poster down from the tree. Hendery and Xiaojun stopped as well, looking at one another before they looked back at Lucas as he turned and held up the poster to them.

“They just can’t get my nose right” he grumbled. Xiaojun rolled his eyes.

“What does it matter?” he asked. Lucas scoffed.

“Oh hush Xiaojun, you and Hendery look great” he replied as he motioned to the other men’s wanted posters. Suddenly a horse’s whiney was heard in the distance, making the three men look at one another before they took off deeper into the forest, running until they came upon a ditch that they couldn’t get themselves out of.

“Well, what do we do now?” Xiaojun demanded. Lucas hummed before he turned towards the others.

“Give me a boost and then I’ll pull you up” he offered. Hendery and Xiaojun looked at another before they looked back at him.

“Give us the satchel first” Hendery ordered. Lucas opened his mouth to argue when he smirked.

“Alright” he replied, handing the satchel over to Hendery before he and Xiaojun helped him out of ditch by letting him use them as a ladder.

“Now help us out, pretty boy” Hendery ordered as he held up a hand to Lucas. Lucas looked back down at him and smirked.

“Sorry, my hands are full” he replied, holding up the satchel that he had swiped off of Hendery’s person, before he took off.

“What?!” Hendery exclaimed, eyes widening in shock as he felt his body for the satchel, only to realize that Lucas really did have the satchel. His eyes then darkened.

“LUCAS!” he shouted as Lucas ran away from them.

~*~*~*~*~

While Lucas was running, the captain of the guard turned towards his soldiers, who were riding on either side him.

“Retrieve that satchel with any force” he ordered before he took off after Lucas, the other soldiers following after him. As he was running, Lucas heard the pounding of hooves and sprinted faster (thanks to his long legs), before bounding over a fallen tree, which the soldiers and their horses tried to copy, but the tree was too large for them to jump over. Just then, one of the soldiers shot up out of their saddle and unfurled two leathery black wings before taking off after Lucas.

“Get him Taeil!” the captain of the guard ordered to the soldier who was chasing after Lucas. The soldier, Moon Taeil, smirked as he flew after Lucas, who heard the flapping of wings and smirked as he unfurled his own pair of black angel wings, shooting into the sky.

“Oh, you’ve got a couple of tricks up your sleeve, don’t you?” Taeil cooed as he chased after Lucas, who just smirked and continued to dodge Taeil until he saw a fallen tree overhanging a chasm. He then flew towards that tree and landed on it, his wings spread out wide for balance. Taeil soon landed across from him, his own wings out wide for balance.

“End of the road” he purred before he held out his hand.

“Now, just hand over the satchel and we can go our separate ways” he stated. Lucas scoffed.

“As it” he replied. Taeil shrugged.

“Alright. Let’s do this the hard way then” he stated as he took a step towards Lucas, only to hear a loud crack underneath his foot. He and Lucas looked at one another with wide eyes before the tree beneath them suddenly broke and fell into the chasm, sending them into the chasm as well, since neither of them knew that the tree was rotten and very fragile. They were so startled by the breakage that neither of them even thought about using their wings to save themselves from the fall.

~*~*~*~*~

When they both landed on the ground, Lucas quickly picked himself up and grabbed the satchel before taking off without Taeil even noticing, since the poor man was sort of unconscious. Lucas continued to run until he stopped against what he thought was a vine covered rock, but when he leaned against it, he fell through, which startled him. He shook his head and frowned as he pushed back the vines and noticed a tunnel that cut through the rocks. Being the curious person that he was, he walked through the tunnel until he came upon a clearing where a large tower stood in the middle, a waterfall behind it. His eyes widened at the sight before a light bulb went off as it dawned on him that the tower might be empty. He quickly ran over to the tower and unfurled his wings, shooting into the air before landing on the balcony. He then walked inside and let out a sigh of relief before he opened the satchel in his hand, smiling slightly.

“Good, it’s safe” he murmured. However, before he knew what was happening, something hit him hard on the back of the head, sending him into a dark unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	5. An Idea

After Doyoung had calmed Jungwoo down and cleaned him up, he noticed Lucas landing on the tower’s balcony. Since he and Jungwoo had never seen him before, he deemed that the smartest thing for them to do was to knock him out, since they weren’t quite sure if he was dangerous or not. Once Jungwoo had knocked him out, he took a step closer to him, wanting to get a closer look. He had never seen another human before, save for Doyoung and Taeyong. He tilted his head to the side and frowned before he looked over at Doyoung, who was looking at Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

“What is it?” he asked. Doyoung shook his head.

“I’m not sure…it looks human…but maybe it’s one of those men with pointy teeth” he murmured. Jungwoo gulped before he turned his frying pan around his hand so that the handle was pointed towards Lucas and took a step forward, lifting up Lucas’s gums with the handle, curious to know whether or not Lucas did indeed have pointy teeth. To his and Doyoung’s surprise, Lucas had normal teeth, just like them. As he continued to look at Lucas, Jungwoo decided that he was the most handsome person he had ever seen. Literally. While he was staring, however, Lucas’s eyes suddenly flew open.

“Huh?” he garbled. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he panicked, quickly raising the frying pan before hitting Lucas over the head again.

“Jungwoo! What are you doing?! He’s human! He could get brain damage!” Doyoung exclaimed. Jungwoo looked over his shoulder at him, brown eyes wide.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?! Let him wake up?!” he exclaimed. Doyoung groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose before he reached down and grabbed Lucas by the ankles, dragging him over to the wardrobe.

“Jungwoo, come help me!” he called out. Jungwoo huffed.

“Coming” he called back as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the angel, standing next to him with his hands on his hips.

“What?” he asked. Doyoung motioned to the wardrobe.

“Open this for me, will ya?” he asked. Jungwoo nodded and threw out a hand, opening the wardrobe. Doyoung then picked up the unconscious Lucas and shoved him none-too-gently into the wardrobe before slamming the doors shut behind him, propping a chair underneath the handles to keep them from opening up. Once Lucas was inside the wardrobe, Doyoung turned towards Jungwoo.

“And Taeyong thought you couldn’t survive outside this castle on your own” he teased. Jungwoo grinned before he noticed the satchel Lucas was carrying.

“Doyoung, look at this” he called out as he walked over to the satchel and picked it up, opening it.

“What’s in it?” Doyoung asked, walking over to him. Jungwoo reached inside and pulled out the crown, holding it up to him.

“This” he replied. Doyoung’s eyes widened.

“Woah…what is that?” he asked. Jungwoo shook his head.

“I don’t know…it looks too big to be a bracelet” he replied as he stuck his hand through the crown, only to have it hang heavily on his wrist. Doyoung nodded.

“Yup, too big. Try putting it on your head” he suggested. Jungwoo nodded and placed the crown on his head and as he looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes widened in surprise, as did Doyoung’s.

“Wow…you look like…royalty” Doyoung breathed. Jungwoo looked back at him.

“You think?” he replied.

“Jungwoo! Let down the rope!” Taeyong’s voice called out suddenly, interrupting Doyoung’s answer. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he quickly took off the crown, handing it over to Doyoung.

“Hide this somewhere then hide yourself!” he exclaimed. Doyoung nodded and quickly ran over to a planter, placing the crown inside before throwing the satchel over it.

“One moment Taeyong” Jungwoo called back as he grabbed the rope and Doyoung unfurled his wings, shooting up towards the rafters. Once Doyoung had hidden, Jungwoo walked over to the hook and strung the rope, throwing it down to Taeyong

“I have a big surprise” Taeyong called up with a smile. Jungwoo laughed nervously.

“I do too” he replied as he pulled Taeyong up. 

“Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger” Taeyong sang. Jungwoo rolled his eyes.

“I seriously doubt it” he mumbled as he finally pulled Taeyong up onto the windowsill.

“I found my parsnips. I can always make hazel nut soup for dinner, your favorite! Surprise!” he exclaimed as he held out his hands. Jungwoo’s eyes widened as he nodded slowly.

“Well, Taeyong, there’s something I wanted to tell you—” he started, eyeing his wardrobe as Taeyong slipped off the windowsill and walked over to the counter, beginning to take out the contents of his basket.

“Oh Jungwoo, you know I hate leaving you after a fight, especially when I’ve done nothing wrong” he stated, a slight edge in his voice. Jungwoo blinked before he scoffed.

“That’s a boldface lie if I ever heard one” he muttered under his breath before he cleared his throat and looked at Taeyong.

“Okay, so I’ve been thinking a lot about you said earlier” he started, making Taeyong look up from his contents and glance over at him.

“I hope you’re not still talking about the stars” he warned. Jungwoo laughed.

“Before you answer, yes, I’m leading to that” he began. Taeyong sighed.

“Because I really thought we dropped the issue, Jungwoo” he clipped. Jungwoo shook his head as he began to scoot towards his wardrobe.

“No, Taeyong, I’m just saying, you think I’m not strong enough to handle myself out there—” he started.

“Oh Jungwoo, I know you’re not strong enough to handle yourself out there” Taeyong interrupted.

“But if you just—” Jungwoo started.

“Jungwoo, we’re done talking about this” Taeyong snapped as Jungwoo slowly began to reach for the chair that held the wardrobe doors closed. 

“But trust me, I—” he started again. Taeyong gritted his teeth.

“Jungwoo” he warned as Jungwoo continued to reach for the chair.

“—know what I’m—” he continued.

“Jungwoo” Taeyong warned again.

“Oh come on” Jungwoo exclaimed, fingers on the chair. Taeyong then suddenly whirled around, eyes flashing red.

 **“You have no other life, Jungwoo! You are not leaving this tower! EVER!”** he roared. Jungwoo’s eyes widened in horror before he let his fingers slip from the chair. Taeyong let out a sigh before he plopped down into his chair.

“Oh great. Now I’m the bad guy” he grumbled. Jungwoo looked over at the wardrobe with sad eyes before he sighed.

“All I was going to say, Taeyong, is that…I know what I want for my birthday now” he murmured, a sad smile on his face. Taeyong looked up and glared at him.

“And what is that?” he snapped. Jungwoo flinched slightly.

“New paint. That paint made from the white shells you once brought me” he suggested. Taeyong looked at him and frowned.

“Well that is a very long trip, Jungwoo. Almost three days’ time” he chided. Jungwoo looked down at his shoes as he rubbed his arms awkwardly.

“I just thought it was a better idea than the…” he started before he paused and sighed.

“…stars” he finished, shoulders slumping as the words came out of his mouth. Taeyong looked at him for a moment before he sighed and stood up from the chair.

“You sure you’ll be alright on your own?” he asked as he walked over to Jungwoo, who nodded.

“I know I’m safe as long as I’m here” he recited. Taeyong smiled and pressed a kiss to his head.

“I’ll be back in three days’ time. I love you very much” he crooned as he walked over to the counter and grabbed his cloak and basket before walking over to the window, grabbing the rope. Jungwoo smiled as he lowered him down.

“I love you more” he called out.

“I love you most” Taeyong called back before he turned and walked towards the secret vine covered tunnel. Jungwoo watched him leave, waving goodbye, waiting for him to be completely out of sight before he rushed back to his wardrobe.

“Doyoung!” he called out. The archangel descended from the rafters; anger barely veiled on his face.

“I’m gonna kill him one day, I swear” he snarled. Jungwoo waved his hand.

“Forget him for now. Don’t you want to know about this mystery man in my closet?” he exclaimed. Doyoung paused for a second before he looked over at the wardrobe and nodded slightly.

“Yeah” he replied. Jungwoo smiled.

“Alright then” he exclaimed as he walked over to the wardrobe and removed the chair, holding his palm out in front of him, eyes glowing gold. Suddenly Lucas’s body flopped onto the floor, making Jungwoo and Doyoung look at one another before they burst out into laughter at how ridiculous he looked.

“I have an idea” Doyoung suddenly declared. Jungwoo looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? Do tell” he purred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	6. Let's Make a Deal

“Fuck!” Lucas cursed as something smacked him in the back of his head, making him open his eyes and look around.

“Wha…” he started when he noticed that he was tightly bound to a chair, yet he could see no rope.

“What the hell?” he murmured as he stared at his bound arms in wonder.

“I wouldn’t struggle if I were you” a voice suddenly called out from the shadows, making Lucas frown and look around the tower until his eyes zeroed in on a section of shadows and watched as Jungwoo stepped into the light, frying pan in hand. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked as Jungwoo held the frying pan out in front of him.

“Who are you and how did you find me?” he asked, trying to be polite to the stranger. Lucas just stared at Jungwoo with wide eyes, making Jungwoo straighten to his full height, which wasn’t very tall, and brandished the frying pan.

_“Who are you and how did you find me?”_ he growled. Lucas raised an eyebrow before he let out a little chuckle.

“You don’t seem that intimidating” he mused. Jungwoo growled again as he stepped forward and pressed his frying pan into Lucas’s throat.

“Who are you?” he snarled. Lucas just smiled as his eyes flicked to black. 

“Huang Xu Xi, but you can call me Lucas” he replied calmly, flicking his eyes back to his normal brown. Jungwoo blinked in surprise before he shook his head and took a step back, still pointing the frying pan at Lucas.

“Who else knows about my location, _Huang Xu Xi_?” he demanded. Lucas held up his hands in surrender in his invisible bonds.

“Look—” he started when he paused, raising an eyebrow at Jungwoo.

“You know, I told you my name, but you never told me yours” he mused. Jungwoo paused before he cleared his throat.

“Kim Jungwoo” he stated. Lucas nodded, making a mental note of Jungwoo’s name, before he sighed.

“Look Jungwoo, here’s the thing: I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest, I came across your tower and—” he started again when he paused suddenly, eyes widening in realization before he looked up at Jungwoo.

“Where’s my satchel?” he demanded. Jungwoo just smirked at him.

“I hid it, somewhere you’ll never find it” he replied. Lucas sighed deeply.

“Wonderful” he grumbled. Jungwoo felt a little bad for him, but he had to know what Lucas’s intentions were, so he walked towards him, frying pan still pointed at him.

“So, what do you want with my power? To misuse it?” he accused. Lucas’s eyes widened.

“What?!” he exclaimed.

“Sell it?” Jungwoo accused again. Lucas shook his head.

“No! What the…what are you even talking about?” he demanded. Jungwoo faltered; Lucas didn’t know what he was? He then slowly shook his head.

“Wait, you don’t want my power?” he asked, confused. Lucas shook his head, slightly miffed.

“Why on earth would I want your power or whatever the hell you’re talking about? Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I flew into it, end of story” he snapped. Jungwoo’s eyes widened at his statement.

“You’re…telling the truth?” he whispered. Lucas nodded.

“YES!” he exclaimed. Jungwoo frowned before he turned and looked back at Doyoung, who was glaring at Lucas.

“Hyung?” he called out softly. Doyoung looked away from Lucas and looked over at him, giving him a look.

“Are you really going to trust this man?” he asked. Jungwoo shrugged.

“I don’t know, but he’s someone who can take me” he whispered. Doyoung frowned and looked over Jungwoo’s shoulder at Lucas, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t trust him” he grumbled. Jungwoo rolled his eyes.

“I think he’s telling the truth” he replied. Doyoung crossed his arms.

“How do you know that? How do you know he’s not gonna misuse you once he realizes what you are?” he asked. Jungwoo huffed in exasperation. 

“I don’t know, hyung, but what choice do I have?! I really want to see those lights!” he exclaimed softly. Doyoung sighed and shook his head before he motioned for Jungwoo to turn around, finally relenting. Jungwoo grinned as he turned around to find Lucas staring at him with curious hazel eyes.

“Alright, Huang Xu Xi, I’m ready to offer you a deal” he declared. Lucas frowned.

“Deal?” he repeated. Jungwoo nodded as he motioned to the mantel, making Lucas turn and look as Jungwoo walked over and pulled back the curtains, revealing his painting of the floating lights.

“Do you know what these are?” he asked. Lucas frowned again.

“You mean the lantern thing they do for the prince?” he offered with a raised eyebrow. Jungwoo’s eyes widened as he looked up at his painting.

“Lanterns…I knew they weren’t stars” he whispered to himself before he cleared his throat and turned back to Lucas.

“Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal” he stated. Lucas stared at him as if he was crazy.

“Are you insane? The kingdom and I aren’t exactly simpatico at the moment so I won’t be taking you anywhere” he replied. Jungwoo frowned and stalked towards him, frying pan clutched tightly in his hand.

“Something brought you here, Huang Xu Xi. Cal it what you will; fate, destiny…” he started, making Lucas roll his eyes.

“Being chased by a demon soldier?” he replied sarcastically. Jungwoo ignored his comment.

“So I have made the decision to trust you—” he continued. 

“A horrible decision, really” Lucas interjected as Jungwoo continued to walk towards him until they were face-to-face. 

“But trust me when I tell you this: you can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel” he snarled. Lucas was quiet before he cleared his throat.

“So, let me get this straight: I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, and you’ll give me back my satchel?” he asked. Jungwoo nodded and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.

“I promise. And when I promise something, I never break that promise. EVER” he growled softly. Lucas swore he saw Jungwoo’s eyes flash gold but that must have just been a trick of the light or something. He was then quiet for a moment before he sighed.

“Alright. I’ll take you see the lanterns” he agreed. Jungwoo let out a gasp and smiled brightly as he took a step back, not realizing that he was basically holding Lucas up, so him taking a step back caused Lucas to fall face first into the floor.

“Oops” Jungwoo apologized. Lucas huffed before he glanced up at Jungwoo.

“You mind?” he asked. Jungwoo shook his head as he quickly reached down and picked the chair up off the floor, setting it upright. Lucas then gave him a look.

“If we’re going to see those light, you might want to untie me so we can get going” he suggested. Jungwoo blinked before he nodded and waved his hand, releasing Lucas from his magical bonds that kept him bound to the chair. Once he had released Lucas, he walked over to the window and strung the rope from the hook hanging above the windowsill, offering the rope over to Lucas, who pushed himself out of the chair and walked over to the window. Lucas looked at the rope and shook his head before he stepped up onto the windowsill and unfurled his black wings, flying towards the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	7. Freedom

Once he had landed safely on the ground, he looked up at Jungwoo and raised an eyebrow.

“Are you coming Jungwoo?” he called out. Jungwoo slowly walked over to the window and looked over the edge, vision swimming at how far down it was. Doyoung then walked up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll be right behind you” he murmured. Jungwoo looked over at him and smiled before he took a deep breath and casted a spell so that the rope wouldn’t burn his hand as he slid down the rope. He then grabbed the rope and jumped, sliding down the side of the tower with a giddy smile on his face. Once he reached the ground, he dissipated the spell before looking down at the grass with wide eyes, kneeling down to run his fingers through it.

“Oh my god” he whispered, just as boots thumped next to him, making him look up to see Doyoung standing beside him, his large white wings unfurled from his back.

“Feels good to be out, doesn’t it?” he asked with a small smile on his face as he pulled his wings against his back. Jungwoo let out a breathy laugh.

“You have no idea” he replied as he stood to his feet and shook his head.

“I can’t believe I did this” he murmured before he looked over at Doyoung, his eyes wide and bright.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I DID THIS!” he exclaimed.

“You know, I kind of can’t believe you did it either” Doyoung mused.

~*~*~*~*~

As Jungwoo, Lucas, and Doyoung were walking away from the tower, Jungwoo was muttering to himself the entire way.

“Taeyong’s gonna be furious” he mumbled to himself before he looked over at Doyoung.

“But that’s fine right, what he doesn’t know won’t kill him?” he asked. Doyoung just shrugged.

“He should be fine. He’s a grown man” he replied. Jungwoo huffed before he sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right” he agreed. Doyoung snickered.

“I usually am” he replied. Jungwoo shot him a glare.

“Oh shut up” he teased. Doyoung just chuckled and shook his head and soon the two men were throwing little quips at one another, making Lucas smile as he walked alongside them. After walking for a while, Jungwoo suddenly stopped, making Lucas and Doyoung look over at him.

“Woo? What’s wrong?” Doyoung asked, concern on his face. 

“I’m a despicable human being” Jungwoo whispered. Doyoung frowned.

“What?” he asked, not really sure if he heard his best friend right.

“I’m a despicable human being” Jungwoo repeated before he sank to his knees. Doyoung and Lucas looked at one another before Doyoung slowly walked over to Jungwoo and cleared his throat as he knelt down next to him while Lucas stood a little ways off, giving them some space.

“Woo, you’re not a despicable human being. You’ve wanted this for years and now you’re finally getting it. Don’t beat yourself up about it, okay?” Doyoung soothed. Jungwoo sniffled as he looked up at him, nodding in agreement. Lucas then walked over to them, crossing his arms.

“I don’t mean to intrude, but I can’t help but notice that you seem a little at war with yourself” he started. Both Jungwoo and Doyoung looked up at him, Doyoung shooting him a warning look while Jungwoo sniffled again.

“No shit, Sherlock” he spat. Lucas raised his hands in surrender before he knelt next to Doyoung, eye-level with Jungwoo.

“Look, this is some serious stuff, but let me ease your conscious: this is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That’s good, healthy even” he explained. Jungwoo raised an eyebrow. 

“You think?” he asked. Lucas nodded.

“I know. You’re way over thinking your stress meter” he explained as he stood up and began to walk around the two friends.

“Does your father deserve this? Will this break his heart and crush his soul? Of course it will. But you just gotta do it” he declared. Jungwoo’s eyes widened in horror while Doyoung just glared at him.

“Break his heart?” Jungwoo repeated. Lucas shrugged.

“It can” he replied. 

“Crush his soul?” Jungwoo whispered as he looked down at the grass. Lucas hummed.

“Like a grape” he confirmed. Doyoung then quickly stood up and walked over to him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

“What the hell are you doing?” he hissed. Lucas raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m just telling him the truth” he replied calmly. Doyoung’s eyes flashed.

“ _The truth?!_ You’re scaring him more than he already is!” he snapped. Lucas huffed as he grabbed Doyoung by the wrists and removed his hands from his shirt before he walked over to Jungwoo and grabbed him by the elbow, pulling him to his feet.

“Come on, up we get. I can’t believe I’m saying this but…I’m letting you out of the deal” he declared. Jungwoo’s eyes widened.

“What?” he asked, confused. Lucas hummed.

“That’s right. I didn’t want to, but I feel like I have to. So, let’s just turn around and you and your friend can go back home” he started before he motioned to himself.

“I get back my satchel—” he continued before motioning to Jungwoo.

“—and you get back a father/son relationship based on mutual trust and voila! We part ways as unlikely friends” he finished as he began to lead Jungwoo back towards the secret tunnel. Jungwoo shook his head as he wrenched his arm out of Lucas’s grip.

“No, I am seeing those lanterns” he snapped. Lucas sighed.

“Seriously? What is it going to take to get my satchel back?” he demanded. Jungwoo narrowed his eyes as he pointed his frying pan at him.

“I will use this” he growled. Lucas just gave him the same look that he gave him back in the tower and as they stared at one another, Lucas swore he saw Jungwoo’s eyes flash gold again but it MUST have been a trick of the sun. Suddenly the bushes behind them rustled, making Jungwoo jump and point the frying pan at it.

“What is that? Ruffians? Thugs?” he exclaimed, only for a little white rabbit to hop out of the bush Lucas rolled his eyes before he looked over at Jungwoo.

“Careful. It can probably smell fear” he stated sarcastically. 

“Nice one, Woo” Doyoung teased as he walked over to him and Lucas. Jungwoo shot him a glare before he huffed.

“Shut up. I’m just a bit jumpy” he grumbled. Lucas scoffed before his face became thoughtful.

“Probably best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though” he confessed. Jungwoo nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best” he replied. The three men soon fell into silence until Lucas broke the silence.

“Are you two hungry? I know a great place for lunch” he offered. Jungwoo raised an eyebrow.

“Where?” he asked. Lucas just smiled as he took Jungwoo’s wrist in his hand.

“Don’t worry. You’ll know it when you smell it” he replied. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he quickly reached out and grabbed Doyoung by the wrist as Lucas dragged him away, dragging Doyoung with him.

~*~*~*~*~

Back near the tower, Taeil slowly waking up from when he hit his head on the ground from the fall. Once he was awake, he pushed himself to his feet and looked around, searching for Lucas when he heard a rustle of leaves from behind him. His head snapped towards the sound and he quickly grabbed the sword that was on his hip and jumped out, hoping to surprise Lucas, but only succeeded in scaring the shit out of Taeyong. He let out a huff of disappointment while Taeyong let out a sigh of relief..

“Oh, a Palace soldier” he breathed before he paused, eyes widening in realization.

“Where did you come from?” he demanded. Before Taeil could even answer, Taeyong took off, eyes wide with horror.

“Jungwoo!” he shouted as he ran away, leaving Taeil rather confused.

~*~*~*~*~

Taeyong ran away from Taeil and back towards the secret tunnel, which he then ran through and came out the other side, facing the tower, which looked dark and abandoned.

“JUNGWOO! Jungwoo, let down the rope” he called out. There was no reply and no rope.

“Jungwoo? Oh no” he whispered before he ran to the side of the tower where there was a loosely bricked up section and held out his hand, eyes glowing red as he destroyed the section with a single blast of magic. He then raced inside, all the way up to the tower, where he pushed away a tile that led to the secret passageway.

“JUNGWOO!” he shouted into the empty tower. Once again, no answer. Taeyong then ran all around, searching for Jungwoo, throwing open windows and doors, and yet he still could not find him. As he headed towards the stairs to check Jungwoo’s bedroom, he noticed something in the pot next to the stairs so he reached down and picked up the satchel.

“What’s this?” he murmured before looking down into the pot, only to see the crown. His eyes widened in fear and he quickly stepped away from the pot, almost like it was cursed. He then remembered that he had the satchel in his hands so he quickly threw it open and found Lucas’s wanted poster. His eyes narrowed as he studied the poster before an idea struck him and he quickly shoved the poster back into the satchel before running up the stairs to Jungwoo’s room. He then rushed inside and ran over to Jungwoo’s dresser and threw open a drawer, rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for: a dagger. As he pulled the weapon out, he grinned wickedly. Perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	8. Knife!

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Jungwoo, Lucas, and Doyoung were walking around, Lucas looking left and right.

“I know it’s around here somewhere…” he mumbled before he looked ahead and smiled. He then grabbed Jungwoo’s arm lightly, halting him and Doyoung, before motioning to a quaint looking wooden cottage.

“Ah, there it is. The Snuggly Duckling” he declared. Jungwoo and Doyoung glanced at one another before they shared a smile. Lucas definitely seemed like the kind of person who would eat at a place called “the Snuggly Duckling”. 

“And don’t worry, it’s a very quaint place, perfect for the two of you. Don’t want you scaring and giving up on this endeavor now, do we?” Lucas asked, smirking over at Doyoung and Jungwoo. 

“Well…I do like ducklings” Jungwoo admitted softly. Lucas smiled.

“So do I. Now, let’s go!” he declared as he took Jungwoo by the wrist and dragged him over to the cottage, Jungwoo dragging Doyoung along as well. Once they were outside the cottage, Lucas threw open the door.

“Garcon, your finest table, please” he called out as Jungwoo and Doyoung’s eyes widened. Inside the room were thugs, ruffians, people who definitely did not match the name of the pub. Lucas then pushed Jungwoo and Doyoung into the pub, smiling as Jungwoo grasped onto Doyoung’s arm for support.

“You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose” he instructed as he took a deep breath in.

“Really, it’s quite bad. What are you getting? Because to me, it’s part bad smell and the other part is _really_ bad smell” he teased as he continued to push Jungwoo and Doyoung inside. Jungwoo slid closer to Doyoung while Lucas gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“I don’t know why, but overall, it smells like the color brown. You’re in luck” he whispered as they continued walking. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Jungwoo by the elbow, making him, Doyoung, and Lucas stop and turn to look at a short man with a mustache who was staring up at them.

“You’re really pretty…for a boy” he gruffly stated, looking directly at Jungwoo. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he yanked his arm out of the man’s meaty hand, backing away from him and into Lucas while Doyoung quickly stepped forward, snarling.

“Don’t you _fucking_ touch him” he snarled, eyes glowing gold as he unfurled his wings from his back. The man narrowed his eyes at him before he took a step closer, glaring up at him.

“You wanna go, boy?” he growled. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No, hyung, don’t, bad idea, please—” he started when Doyoung smirked.

“Let’s dance” he replied. Jungwoo groaned and face-palmed, just as Lucas stepped forward and unfurled his own large wings, only they were black instead of white. He then flicked his eyes to black and at the sight of his black eyes, all of the thugs pulled out weapons of their own and quickly surrounded Doyoung, Lucas, and Jungwoo, much to their dismay and horror.

“Great Lucas, now we’re gonna get killed!” Jungwoo exclaimed. Lucas looked over at him and frowned.

“Well, if Doyoung hadn’t gotten all defensive and decided to start a fight, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” he snapped back. Just then, one of the thugs from the back of the room raised his arm and threw an axe straight towards Lucas. Without even thinking, Jungwoo threw out a hand, creating a force-field around them, while sending some thugs flying as well. Lucas turned and looked at him with wide eyes before he smiled slightly.

“Thanks” he thanked. Jungwoo smiled back at him.

“No problem” he replied as he lowered the force-field. All around them, the thugs were looking at them with terrified eyes when a tall young man with light skin, blue hair, and brown eyes stepped forward, studying the three of them, before crossing his arms.

“Causing trouble in my tavern, gentlemen?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Jungwoo, Lucas, and Doyoung lowered their heads at his tone before Jungwoo cleared his throat.

“Sorry sir. We weren’t trying, it’s just that someone grabbed me and startled me, causing my friends over here to get a little protective” he explained, motioning to Lucas and Doyoung, who had folded their wings against their backs and returned their eyes to normal. The man nodded before he turned to the rest of the tavern.

“These gentlemen mean no harm. Go back to your business” he ordered. The other patrons nodded and quickly went back to their business while the man turned back to the three men and held out his hand.

“Qian Kun” he introduced. Doyoung, Jungwoo, and Lucas shook his hand before Jungwoo cleared his throat. 

“I’m Jungwoo, this is my friend Doyoung, and this is Lucas” he replied, motioning first to himself, then to Doyoung, then to Lucas. Kun nodded in greeting when suddenly one of the thugs burst through the door, eyes wide.

“There are guards on the way! They’re looking for someone named Huang Xu Xi, better known as Lucas” he exclaimed. Kun’s eyes widened as everyone turned to stare at Lucas, Jungwoo, and Doyoung, making Lucas heavily sigh. When one of the thugs took a step towards Lucas, Kun pulled a bow and a quiver out of thin air, notching the bow with an arrow.

“Take one more step and I’ll put this through your heart” he growled. The thug gulped and took a step back as Kun turned towards Lucas and the others.

“Come, follow me” he ordered, motioning for the three men to follow him as he looked over his shoulder at the tavern.

“When they get here, distract them!” he ordered before he walked over to the bar and pulled on one of the taps, revealing a secret entrance behind the bar. 

“Go, before they catch you” he whispered. Lucas and Doyoung nodded, quickly jumping over to the bar to get to the secret entrance while Jungwoo paused, smiling at Kun.

“Thank you” he whispered before he leapt over the bar to join Lucas and Doyoung in the tunnel, just as the guards burst into the inn.

~*~*~*~*~

While Lucas and the others were escaping, the tavern patrons were distracting the guards.

“I believe this man is who you’re looking for” one of the thugs named Vladimir declared as he held up an older thug wearing a diaper.

“You got me” the man declared drunkenly.

“Sir, there’s no sign of Huang” a guard called out to the captain. Just as the captain was about to call out an order, Taeil descended from the heavens and folded his wings against his back as he entered the tavern.

“Taeil” the captain whispered in awe as Taeil calmly walked over to the bar and stared at Kun.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Kun asked. Taeil just smiled.

“For you to get out of my way” he replied. Kun nodded.

“Of course. But you’re not going to find anything interesting back here” he stated as he stepped out of the way to show him what he meant. Taeil looked around before he looked back at him and smirked.

“Are you sure?” he replied as he pulled down the tap that revealed the secret tunnel that Jungwoo, Doyoung, and Lucas had escaped through. He then looked over at the captain and whistled, motioning to the secret tunnel before he leapt over the bar and headed into the tunnel. The captain’s eyes widened.

“A passage” he breathed before he turned towards his men.

“Come on men, let’s go” he ordered, pausing to look over at the young soldier who was guarding Hendery and Xiaojun.

“Corman, make sure those boys don’t get away” he ordered. The young soldier gulped before he faced Hendery and Xiaojun, pointing his spear shakily at them. It didn’t take long before Hendery bashed his head against Corman’s, knocking him unconscious. He then grabbed the spear and broke his chains before breaking Xiaojun’s.

“Play it safe. We’ll go get the crown” he ordered before they exited the tavern.

~*~*~*~*~

Outside the tavern, Taeyong was watching with cold and calculating eyes.

_‘This child’_ he hissed in his mind. Just then, the older thug walked out, humming drunkenly to himself, only to stop and whistle when he saw Taeyong.

“Ohh, somebody get me a glass. ‘Cause I just found me a tall drink of water” he purred. Taeyong laughed fakely at the catcall.

“Oh stop it, you big lug” he teased before he pulled the dagger out of its sheath and pointed it at the thug’s nose.

“Where’s that tunnel lead out?” he snarled. The thug’s eyes widened in fear as he looked at the dagger that was stabbing at his nose.

“Knife!” he exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	9. Meeting Once Again

As Lucas, Doyoung, and Jungwoo were walking down the secret passageway, Jungwoo let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, he was nice” he mused with a smile. Doyoung nodded in agreement.

“He was” he agreed. Silence soon fell over the three before Jungwoo looked over at Lucas and smirked.

“So, Lucas. Where are you from?” he asked. Lucas’s eyes widened and he held up a hand.

“Woah, sorry, I don’t do backstories” he replied before he looked over at Doyoung and Jungwoo.

“I am, however, becoming very interested in yours” he confessed. Jungwoo raised an eyebrow, making Lucas clear his throat as they continued to walk along in the secret tunnel.

“Now I know I’m not supposed to mention your “powers” or something like that” he stated, motioning to Jungwoo, who shook his head.

“Nope” he declared.

“Or the father” Lucas continued.

“Uh, uh” Jungwoo agreed. Lucas then motioned to Doyoung.

“What even are you?” he demanded.

“Archangel. You?” Doyoung replied.

“Archdemon” Lucas answered before he suddenly stopped walking, a thought hitting him.

“I have a question: if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven’t you gone before?” he asked, looking over at Jungwoo. Jungwoo blinked before he let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, uh…” he started when suddenly shouting came from behind them, making him, Lucas, and Doyoung turn to see guards running towards them.

“Uh, Lucas…” Doyoung started, pointing towards the guards running towards them.

“LUCAS!” Jungwoo exclaimed as the guards drew nearer. Lucas then grabbed him by the wrist, which made him grab Doyoung by the arm, and soon the three were bolting out of the cave. Once they were outside, they continued to run until they had to stop, since there was a sheer drop off at the end of the cliff. They then turned around to see the captain of the guards with soldiers behind him, all of them pissed.

“Who’s that?” Jungwoo asked softly. Lucas winced.

“They don’t like me” he admitted, just as Taeil pushed his way through the guards and stood before Lucas, eyes glowing red as he unfurled his large leathery wings from his back. Doyoung’s eyes widened in shock at Taeil’s arrival.

“And who is that?” he demanded.

“He doesn’t like me either” Lucas replied. Just then, far below the cliff, Hendery and Xiaojun burst out of an old mine shaft and glared up at Lucas, Jungwoo, and Doyoung. Jungwoo’s eyes widened even more.

“Who the hell is that?!” he exclaimed, just as Lucas grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at him.

“Let’s just assume for a moment that everyone here doesn’t like me!” he exclaimed. Jungwoo was silent for a moment before his eyes flashed gold and he slammed his frying pan into Lucas’s stomach.

“Hold this” he ordered before he turned towards the cliff.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Lucas exclaimed, making Doyoung place a hand on his arm, forcing him to look over at the archangel.

“Trust him” he ordered as Jungwoo leapt off the cliff. Lucas’s eyes widened and he wrenched his arm out from Doyoung’s and ran to the edge, looking over to see Jungwoo on a wooden scaffolding that was holding up the dam next to them. He then let out a sigh of relief before he turned back to the captain of the guards and Taeil.

“I’ve waited a long time for this” the captain of the guard snarled as he pulled out his sword from his sheath. Lucas looked calmly at him before he swung the frying pan, knocking the man out. The other soldiers then rushed at him, but Doyoung just stepped in front of him, pulling an angel sword out of thin air before he began attacking the soldiers, hacking and slashing at them with intense speed and precision. Once all of the soldiers were either unconscious, bleeding, or beheaded (thanks Doyoung), Lucas looked down at the frying pan in his hand.

“I can now see why Jungwoo likes this” he murmured. Doyoung just rolled his eyes and shook his head as he and Lucas turned to face Taeil; Doyoung holding his angel sword tightly in his hands while Lucas spun the frying pan in his. Taeil looked between the two supernatural beings before he smirked and reached down, picking up one of the swords from an unconscious soldier before pointing it at Lucas.

“Your move” he declared. When Doyoung saw the sword, he quickly grabbed the frying pan out of Lucas’s hand and handed him his sword before taking a step back.

“Good luck” he bid. Lucas nodded just as Taeil surged forward, forcing him to quickly block the attack with Doyoung’s sword. The two men fought with speed, grace, and skill and both were equally matched until Lucas struck when he should have parried, giving Taeil the opportunity to knock Doyoung’s sword out of his hand before pointing his own sword at his throat.

“Well fuck” he muttered. 

~*~*~*~*~

Out on the scaffolding, Jungwoo let out a breath before he shut his eyes and jumped, using his magic to slow his descent as he got closer to the ground. Once he was on the ground, he turned and looked up to see Lucas cornered by Taeil, making his eyes widen.

“Lucas!” he cried out before he raised his hand and yanked down, his eyes glowing gold. Up on the cliff, Lucas was staring Taeil in the eyes when he felt himself being yanked backwards and before he knew it, he was falling. Doyoung quickly jumped after him, unfurling his wings from his back as he flew over to Lucas and grabbed him by the wrists, stopping him mid-fall. Lucas then looked over at Hendery and Xiaojun, smirking.

“Sup fuckers!” he called out, making Hendery and Xiaojun growl as Doyoung continued to fly towards the ground. Soon the two supernatural beings landed next Jungwoo, and then the three of them took off running, since they really didn’t fancy being captured. As they began to run away, Jungwoo stopped and turned to face the cliff while Lucas and Doyoung kept running, since they didn’t know that Jungwoo had stopped. While they kept running, Jungwoo looked over at one of the beams that was holding up the dam and placed his hand in front of it before sweeping it aside, knocking the beam away. Once the deed was done, he turned and ran after Doyoung and Lucas, Lucas quickly pushing them towards a dark cave. Unbeknownst to them, the dam burst and soon rushing water gushed over the captain of the guards, the soldiers, Taeil, and Lucas’s old partners. The water was so strong that it crashed into a large rock formation and caused it to break and fall over, accidentally trapping Lucas, Jungwoo, and Doyoung inside the cave, which began to fill with water, making the three men panic. Lucas tried hitting the walls with his shoulder, trying to budge the rocks that were inside, but they were stuck tight. He then tried to push the rocks but yet again, they didn’t budge and instead he ended up slicing his palm, making him his pain. As the water began to rise around them, Lucas dove into the black water, trying to find a way out and while he was swimming, Jungwoo and Doyoung tried to push and shove at the rocks but they were as successful as Lucas, which mean they were unsuccessful. When Lucas finally broke surface, panting and gasping for air, he shook his head.

“It’s no use, I can’t see anything” he declared. Jungwoo frowned before he dove into the black waters, hoping to find a way out. 

“Jungwoo, no!” Doyoung shouted. Lucas’s eyes widened before he quickly dove after Jungwoo, pulling him to the surface, both men gasping for air.

“Hey, there’s no point. It’s pitch black down there” Lucas explained softly as he turned to face Jungwoo, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Jungwoo bit his lip as his heart began to beat faster and his chest began to rise and fall abnormally.

“This is all my fault. Taeyong was right, I never should have done this” he panted. Lucas frowned at Jungwoo’s quaky and breathy voice, but before he could say anything, Doyoung swam over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Woo” he soothed. Jungwoo shook his head, heart beating faster as his vision began to swim and blur.

“N-no, hyung, it’s not. This is a horrible way to die” he choked, looking at the rising black waters that surrounded them. As he continued to stare at the water, his chest began to tighten and soon he was gasping for breath, making Lucas’s eyes widen.

“What’s happening?” he demanded, glaring at Doyoung, whose eyes were widening as well.

“He’s having a panic attack” Doyoung exclaimed as he swam in front Jungwoo, gripping his shoulder.

“Jungwoo, snap out of it. This is no place for a panic attack!” he shouted. Jungwoo shook his head.

“Can’t…I can’t control…these things Doyoung” he panted, desperately trying to calm down but failing. Doyoung growled.

“I know, I know, and being stuck in here isn’t exactly helping” he grumbled. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and before Doyoung or Lucas knew what was happening, he sunk beneath the rising water, much to the other’s horror.

“JUNGWOO!” Doyoung screamed, just as he heard an explosion before being sucked out by the water as it spat them into a stream just outside the cave. Once they were outside, Doyoung began searching the water.

“Jungwoo! Jungwoo!” he cried. Lucas said nothing before he quickly dove under the water, searching for Jungwoo as well before he finally found him and dragged him to the surface. When Doyoung saw Lucas carrying Jungwoo in his arms, he let out a relieved gasp.

“Lucas! Oh thank God you found him” he exclaimed. Lucas nodded as he swam over to the bank and pushed Jungwoo onto it before pulling himself up after him. Doyoung quickly followed behind, pulling himself up onto the bank. As soon as he was on his feet, Lucas had picked up Jungwoo bridal style and looked over at him.

“Come on, we need to make camp” he stated as he began to walk into the forest. Doyoung said nothing as he followed after Lucas, silently praying that Jungwoo would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	10. All Good Things to Those Who Wait

After Jungwoo had tried to nearly drown the captain of the guards, the soldiers, Taeil, and Lucas’s old partners, the two men appeared out of another secret tunnel in the base of a tree, soaked to the bone.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill Lucas!” Hendery shouted, making Xiaojun look over at him with a frown on his face.

“And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that? Lucas is definitely stronger than the both of us and you damn well know it” he stated. Hendery frowned as he looked back at Xiaojun.

“Don’t you want to get the crown back?” he asked.

“Yeah, I do. But I don’t think that killing Lucas is the way to get it” Xiaojun replied. Hendery huffed and rolled his eyes before he turned away.

“Come on, let’s go get that crown” he ordered. Xiaojun let out a sigh before he followed after Hendery and unbeknownst to them, Taeyong had heard everything, so an evil smile was on his face as he stepped out of the shadows towards the two thieves.

“Gentlemen” he started, making Xiaojun and Hendery spin around and face him.

“Perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment” he sneered as he held up the satchel. Hendery and Xiaojun looked at each other before they pulled out their swords, making Taeyong roll his eyes.

“Oh please, there’s no need for that” he admonished as he tossed the satchel over to Hendery, who quickly opened it and pulled out the crown.

“Well, if that’s all you desire, then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth one thousand crowns that would have made you rich beyond belief. And that’s not even the best part. Oh well, c’est la vie. Enjoy your crown” Taeyong bid before he turned and began to walk away, hoping that Xiaojun and Hendery would fall for his bait. As he was walking away, Xiaojun and Hendery looked at each other before they looked back at Taeyong.

“What’s the best part?” Hendery asked. Taeyong stopped walking and chuckled to himself. They were falling right into his trap. Excellent. He then turned around and pulled out Lucas’s poster, holding it up.

“It comes with revenge on Huang Xu Xi” he crooned. Both Hendery and Xiaojun looked at one another for the third time before they smiled darkly.

~*~*~*~*~

Back at the camp that Lucas had created, Doyoung sat and watched as Lucas checked Jungwoo’s pulse, making sure that he was still alive and breathing.

“Is he going to be okay?” he asked. Lucas looked up at him and nodded.

“He’ll be fine” he assured. Doyoung let out a breath of relief as he watched Jungwoo sleep in between their feet before he looked over at Lucas.

“How’s your hand?” he asked. Lucas raised an eyebrow before he shrugged.

“It’s fine” he replied before he hissed as cold air whipped through the forest, making his wound sting like a bitch. Suddenly, without any warning, his hand was grabbed, so he looked down in shock to see Jungwoo slowly pushing himself into a sitting position.

“Jungwoo, you’re supposed to be resting!” he exclaimed. Jungwoo weakly shook his head.

“I can…do this first” he murmured before he shut his eyes, making Lucas’s eyes widen as he felt the air around them become magically charged.

_‘This isn’t normal’_ he thought to himself as he glanced down at Jungwoo, slightly tensing, before looking over at Doyoung, who just had a soft smile on his face as he pointed to Lucas’s hand. When Jungwoo was finished, he opened his eyes and Lucas saw that his eyes were glowing gold. He then removed his hand from Lucas’s and when Lucas looked down, he saw that the long gash that was across his palm was completely gone.

“Holy…” he started when Jungwoo swayed and collapsed back onto the ground, this time out for good. Lucas looked down at him in concern before he looked back at his hand and turned it over a few times before looking over at Doyoung.

“Did he just—” he started when Doyoung raised an eyebrow.

“Heal your hand? Yeah, Jungwoo has magic” he replied. Lucas looked at him with wide eyes.

“How long has he been able to do that?” he asked, voice full of curiosity. Doyoung shrugged.

“Forever I guess” he replied as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Jungwoo told me that Taeyong always told him that when he was a baby, people tried to use him for his powers…he said a gift like his had to be protected” he explained before sighing.

“Which is why Taeyong never let him leave the tower. He’s very possessive of him” he stated. Lucas hummed before he looked down at Jungwoo’s sleeping body, concern in his eyes.

“And he’s still going to go back?” he asked, confused. Doyoung shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know. It’s complicated” he admitted. Lucas hummed and said nothing more on the subject until Doyoung looked over at him.

“So, who are you? Where are you from?” he inquired. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you want to know?” he replied. Doyoung huffed.

“I’m just making sure that we’re not hanging out with some wanted criminal or something” he replied. Lucas winced at his statement before he sighed. 

“Well, as you know, I’m an archdemon” he started. Doyoung nodded.

“Yeah, we know that” he replied. Lucas sighed again.

“What you didn’t know is that my entire family was burned alive in their home because a rival kingdom had come through our town and had basically burned everything to the ground. I was the only sole survivor of my entire village, so in order to survive, I turned to a life of thievery and honestly? I never looked back at the life I once had, since I don’t remember much of it. I was rather young when it happened” he explained. Doyoung looked at him with wide brown eyes and shook his head.

“Lucas…I’m so sorry” he whispered. Lucas frowned and shook his head.

“Why? What happened, happened. I can’t go back and change the past” he stated. Doyoung pursed his lips and opened his mouth to say something when he heard a branch crack in the distance.

“Looks like we’ve got company” he muttered. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“Who?” he asked. Doyoung said nothing before he placed two fingers to Jungwoo’s forehead, tilting his head back as his eyes began to glow and suddenly his soul flew out of his mouth, much to Lucas’s horror.

“Doyoung, what the—” he started when Jungwoo’s mouth suddenly opened and his soul flew out of his mouth and into Doyoung’s while Doyoung’s soul flew into his. Lucas shook his head in shock and nearly jumped out of his skin as Doyoung’s body suddenly collapsed on the ground.

“Doyoung?” he whispered, just as Jungwoo stirred and shook his head.

“God, I hate doing that” he grumbled. Lucas looked over at him, brown eyes wide.

“Doyoung? Is that you?” he whispered. Jungwoo looked over at him and smiled slightly.

“Hi” he greeted. Lucas shook his head in shock.

“What did you do?!” he exclaimed softly.

“Switch bodies with Jungwoo, obviously” Doyoung, in Jungwoo’s body, stated. Lucas shook his head again.

“Why?!” he demanded as Jungwoo (Doyoung, Lucas had to remind himself) pushed himself to his feet and cracked his neck.

“Because if the company that we have is who I think it is, they are going to want to talk to Jungwoo. But since Jungwoo is a bit…unconscious at the moment, I’m going to step in and act as Jungwoo. Besides, I’ve known Jungwoo since he was a child, so I basically know his mannerisms by heart” he explained before he raised his finger to his lip.

“Now, stay quiet” he ordered as he walked away from the campsite.

~*~*~*~*~

Doyoung, in Jungwoo’s body, continued to walk through the forest before he came upon a clearing.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to show up” a voice sneered, making Doyoung turn to see Taeyong smirking at him, or rather, “Jungwoo”.

“Taeyong” he replied curtly. Taeyong smiled.

“Hello Jungwoo” he greeted as he walked over to Doyoung and gave him a big hug. Doyoung shook his head, pretending to be confused.

“How did you find me?” he asked. Taeyong shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, it was easy, really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that” he replied as he pulled away, clapping Doyoung on the shoulders.

“We’re going home, Jungwoo. Now” he declared as he grabbed Jungwoo’s wrist and began to walk away, only to have Doyoung pull his wrist out of his grasp.

“You…you don’t understand. I’ve been on the most incredible journey. I’ve seen and learned so much” he babbled before his face softened as he glanced back towards the small camp that he, Jungwoo, and Lucas had made.

“I’ve even met people” he explained. Taeyong scoffed.

“Yes, the thief and the whole tavern of thugs. I’m so proud Jungwoo” he sneered. Doyoung gritted his teeth but remained composed as he stood before Taeyong, who then reached out and grabbed his wrist again.

“Come on, Jungwoo” he ordered. Doyoung pulled his wrist out of his grasp again.

“No. I’m not going home. I like being with him and I’m not leaving” he declared. Taeyong raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, so you’ve grown some balls and talk back to me, have you?” he snarled. Doyoung nodded as he stood up to Jungwoo’s real height and looked into Taeyong’s eyes.

“I have” he replied. Taeyong smirked.

“Well, good for you. But don’t come crying to me when that thief leaves you for this!” he exclaimed, holding up the satchel. Jungwoo’s eyes widened before he quickly steeled himself as Taeyong tossed the satchel, which he caught, before looking him in the eyes.

“I will give this to him and he won’t leave” he assured. Taeyong smirked.

“We’ll see” he replied before he snapped his fingers and disappeared into nothingness. Once he was gone, Doyoung quickly walked back to camp and placed two fingers to his own body, his soul flying out of Jungwoo’s mouth and Jungwoo’s soul flying out of his mouth, the two souls returning to their original bodies. Jungwoo’s body then collapsed, while Doyoung sat up and clutched at his head.

“Fuck” he spat. He hated switching bodies, it always left him with such a headache. He then looked over at the satchel in Jungwoo’s limp hand and quickly grabbed it, standing to his feet as he held it out to Lucas.

“This look familiar to you?” he demanded. Lucas’s eyes widened.

“That’s my satchel. How did you get it?” he exclaimed. Doyoung sighed.

“Taeyong showed up and tried to take Jungwoo home. When I told him about you, he said that you were sure to leave because of the satchel” he explained. Lucas blinked before he looked over at Jungwoo, who looked like Sleeping Beauty the way his hair was splayed out over the grass from when he collapsed, and his face softened.

“No, I would never abandon Jungwoo” he murmured before looking up at Doyoung.

“Or you” he added. Doyoung nodded.

“That’s what I thought” he murmured as he handed over the satchel. Lucas took the satchel and slung it across his body before he sighed.

“Well, I’m going to get some sleep” he declared. Doyoung nodded.

“I am too” he agreed. The two men then settled down, Doyoung covering Jungwoo with one of his wings before he and Lucas shut their eyes, soon falling asleep while in the shadows, Taeyong, Xiaojun, and Hendery were watching. Hendery began to pull out his sword only to Taeyong hold his arm out to stop him.

“Patience” he ordered as he looked at the sleeping party, eyes slowly melting to red.

“All good things to those who wait” he purred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	11. To the Kingdom

The next morning, as Lucas was sleeping, he felt something wet drip onto his face, so he blinked and squinted his eyes as he looked up to see Taeil, who was soaking wet, glaring down at him.

“Have a nice swim?” he teased. Taeil narrowed his eyes.

“Hilarious” he replied before he reached down and grabbed Lucas by the lapels, yanking him to his feet.

“Let’s end this” he declared, unfurling his wings from his back as he pulled a sword out of thin air. Lucas smirked as he too unfurled his wings from his back, waving his hand as he summoned his own angel sword. The two supernatural beings circled one another before they leapt at one another, swords clanging loudly as they clashed. They then pulled away before rushed at each other again, swords clanging again as they clashed. The sound of metal hitting metal was so loud that it startled Doyoung and Jungwoo out of their slumber.

“What the hell?!” Jungwoo exclaimed, groaning as he shook the sleep from his head. He then looked over to see Lucas and Taeil hacking and slashing at one another, so he quickly pushed himself to his feet and ran over to them.

“Jungwoo! What are you doing?! Get back here!” Doyoung shouted, pushing himself to his feet as well as he ran after the warlock. Jungwoo ignored him, however, and continued to run towards the fighting supernatural beings, forming a ball of magic in his hand which he then chucked at them, smiling as the magic exploded between them, sending them flying backwards.

“Alright, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but whatever it is, it needs to stop!” he shouted. Taeil looked over at him and narrowed his eyes as he took a step towards him, but before he could even get close, Doyoung and Lucas stepped in front of him, blocking his way. 

“I don’t think so” Doyoung growled, eyes glowing gold. Taeil let out a huff before he took a step back, waving his hand and making the sword disappear.

“Alright, alright. I’m backing up” he stated. Jungwoo then pushed his way forward, looking at Taeil with curious blue eyes.

“Who are you?” he asked. Taeil blinked before he smiled and held out a hand.

“Moon Taeil. Only demon soldier in the royal army” he introduced. Jungwoo eyed his hand warily before he reached out and shook it. He then placed his hands on his hips.

“So, what are you doing here? And what do you want with Lucas?” he demanded. 

“He’s wanted by the kingdom and I’m supposed to bring him in” Taeil replied. Doyoung frowned as he crossed his arm.

“Okay, but that doesn’t exactly give you the excuse to come in here and fight him with a sword” he grumbled. Taeil chuckled.

“You’re right, but we did have a fight to finish, or did you not remember that little fact?” he asked, giving Doyoung a look. Doyoung stared at the demon with wide eyes before he huffed and looked away.

“What I thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a criminal to bring in” Taeil declared, talking a step towards Lucas, only to have Jungwoo step in front of him, blocking his way.

“Yeah, sorry, but that’s not gonna happen. Today is kind of the biggest day of my life and I kind of need you to _not_ arrest him” he explained. Taeil raised an eyebrow.

“What’s so important that you need to harbor a criminal?” he asked. Jungwoo sighed.

“He’s taking me to see the floating lights” he explained. Taeil paused.

“You mean the thing they do for the prince?” he asked finally. Jungwoo nodded. Taeil was quiet for a moment before he sighed.

“Alright, fine. I won’t arrest him, but only for today. After that, he’s going into custody” he declared. Jungwoo grinned before he threw out a hand.

“Name’s Kim Jungwoo. You already know Lucas and this is Kim Doyoung, my best friend” he introduced, motioning to himself, then Lucas, then finally to Doyoung. Taeil shook his head before he looked over at Doyoung, eyeing him up and down before he smiled slightly. Doyoung blinked in surprise before he returned the smile, a slight blush on his cheeks. Once the introductions had been made, Jungwoo and Doyoung walked away from Lucas and Taeil, heading towards the kingdom. As they were walking away, Taeil looked over at Lucas.

“You’re lucky you have a warlock on your side or I would have taken you straight to the gallows” he whispered. Lucas just rolled his eyes and shook his head as he followed after Jungwoo and Doyoung, Taeil following after him.

~*~*~*~*~

As Jungwoo and Doyoung were walking across the bridge, Jungwoo looked up at the kingdom with wide eyes and a bright smile on his face.

“Wow” he breathed as he stared at the sight. Behind them, Lucas and Taeil were walking in silence when Taeil noticed Lucas’s wanted poster. He raised an eyebrow at it and when Lucas noticed him pause, he stopped as well and turned to see what the hell he was looking at. When he saw the poster, he blinked before he looked at Taeil.

“So? What would you like me to do about it?” he asked softly. Taeil shrugged.

“You could always take it down so that no one recognizes you” he offered. Lucas was quiet for a moment before he reached out and yanked the poster down, shredding it. He then looked back at Taeil and nodded.

“Thank you” he thanked. Taeil smiled slightly.

“Of course” he replied. The two then began walking again, following behind Doyoung and Jungwoo as they entered the kingdom. Once they were inside, Jungwoo rushed ahead of them, looking around the marketplace in awe. He took a step forward, only to almost be run over by a cart. He then stepped back, only to bump into a woman carrying a basket of bread before nearly tripping over runaway geese and running into two more people. Before he nearly got trampled, Lucas quickly ran towards him and steadied him by grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Thank you” Jungwoo thanked as he looked up at the tall archdemon. Lucas chuckled and shook his head.

“You really need to be more careful” he stated as Taeil and Doyoung ran over to them.

“Honestly Jungwoo, we haven’t even stepped two feet into this place and you’re already trying to get yourself killed” Doyoung teased, making Jungwoo shoot him a look.

“Shut up” he replied. They then began to walk around the marketplace, Jungwoo and Doyoung exploring everything while Taeil and Lucas stood back and watched. After a while, Doyoung became hungry, so he dragged Taeil and Lucas over to one of the vendors and stood in like while Jungwoo continued to look around a little more. As he walked around, he noticed a beautiful mosaic of a Queen and King holding a little baby boy. He slowly stepped towards it, head tilted in curiosity, and he smiled softly as he saw a little girl place a blue flower on the mosaic base. 

“It’s for the lost prince” the little girl explained to her baby sister, who her mother was holding. Jungwoo smiled fondly at her before he looked back up at the mosaic, staring at the blond little boy cradled in the Queen’s arms, narrowing his eyes in confusion. His head then turned when he heard music begin to play, so he quickly followed the music.

~*~*~*~*~

Back at the stand, Lucas thanked the shopkeeper and was about to call out to Jungwoo when he found that he was gone. He started to look around with wide eyes until he finally found him dancing around to music that street musicians were playing before walking over to a little boy and coaxing him into dancing along. Once the little boy was dancing, Jungwoo ran off to grab another villager, who then grabbed another and soon villagers were grabbing one another and pulling them into a large dancing circle. While Jungwoo was dancing, Lucas paused to watch, crossing his arms as a fond look crossed his face. Doyoung and Taeil then walked over to him, Taeil nudging him playfully.

“You should join him” he stated. Lucas looked over at him and his eyes widened.

“Excuse me? No, I don’t dance” he replied. Doyoung frowned.

“Oh come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” he asked. Lucas frowned at him.

“Being with you and Jungwoo has been enough of an adventure for me, thank you” he replied. Just then, Jungwoo ran over to them and grabbed Doyoung by the arm, dragging him into the dance. Doyoung let out a cry of protest before he began to laugh as he and Jungwoo danced along with the other villagers around them. Taeil and Lucas watched the two for a while until Jungwoo and Doyoung motioned for them to join, but they just shook their heads, perfectly content where they were. Jungwoo and Doyoung then looked at each other, a secret smile shared between them, before they ran over to Taeil and Lucas, yanking them into the circle.

~*~*~*~*~

_A while back, while Jungwoo and Doyoung were still exploring the kingdom, Lucas slipped off to a little boy selling purple flags with bright yellow suns on them and bought one, bringing it over to Jungwoo and handing it to him._

_“Lucas what—” Jungwoo started._

_“I just…thought you might like it” Lucas murmured. Jungwoo grinned brightly as he clutched the flag to his chest._

_“I love it!” he exclaimed. While he was showing the flag off to Doyoung, Taeil looked over at him and smirked._

_“That was nice of you” he mused. Lucas shrugged._

_“Just thought it would be a nice little memento” he replied._

~*~*~*~*~

Back at the dance, Lucas and Jungwoo were dancing with one another while Doyoung and Taeil were also dancing with one another. As they were dancing, they were suddenly separated by other dancers, having to now dance with different partners. However, the four men didn’t particularly care for their partners, so when they were to switch partners, and saw that their former partners were so close, they reached out, ready to grab their hand, when four other people took their hands and pulled them away. Doyoung made puppy eyes at Taeil, Taeil let out an annoyed huff, Jungwoo smiled at Lucas while Lucas just shrugged his shoulders.

~*~*~*~*~

_After Lucas had bought Jungwoo the flag, Jungwoo walked over to where children were drawing with chalk and knelt down, asking one of the children if he could borrow some chalk. When he was leant a few colors, he began to draw and he kept drawing until his drawing was complete and once he was finished, everyone around him stared at it in awe. Even Lucas was impressed. Jungwoo’s drawing was of that of the beautiful purple flag Lucas had bought him, except with more flowers and swirls._

~*~*~*~*~

At the dance, the music began to speed up and everyone began to dance faster and faster.

~*~*~*~*~

_Not too long after drawing his chalk drawing, Lucas and Jungwoo hid from the palace guards as they enjoyed some cupcake that Lucas had bought while Doyoung and Taeil stood watch, enjoying cupcakes of their own._

~*~*~*~*~

Jungwoo was dancing happily in the circle, laughing and spinning as he and the villagers spun around faster and faster. They continued dancing and dancing as the music got faster and faster until, when it finally stopped, Lucas and Jungwoo were in each other’s arms, panting and smiling at each other. 

“To the boats!” a villager suddenly cried out. Jungwoo and Lucas looked at one another before they both pulled away, slight blushes on their cheeks.

“Wait, where’s Taeil and Doyoung?” Jungwoo asked, realizing that their friends were missing. Lucas frowned and looked around before he found them leaning up against the wall, demon and archangel both giving them thumb’s up. Lucas huffed before he motioned to them.

“Over there” he replied. Jungwoo looked over towards the wall and shook his head.

“Those bastards” he muttered, a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	12. I See the Light

After the villagers declared that they should go to the boats, Lucas and Jungwoo quickly hopped into one of the boats and began rowing out on the lake.

“Have fun you two” a voice called out. Lucas and Jungwoo turned to see Taeil and Doyoung standing on the docks, a knowing smirk on Doyoung’s face as he crossed his arms. Jungwoo blushed, burying his hands in his face. 

“Hyung, oh my God!” he exclaimed. Doyoung just chuckled and shook his head before he leaned against Taeil, Taeil wrapping an arm around his waist. Lucas raised an eyebrow at the gesture, so he nudged Jungwoo, making him look up as he motioned to the two supernatural beings standing on the docks. When Jungwoo saw what Lucas was pointing at, he smirked.

“Nice catch, hyung!” he teased.

“You’ve got yourself a keeper, Taeil” Lucas declared. Doyoung blushed deeply while Taeil waved a dismissive hand.

“Oh, go away” he ordered teasingly. Lucas and Jungwoo laughed before Lucas began to row farther out onto the lake.

~*~*~*~*~

As Lucas was rowing, Jungwoo looked back at him, confusion on his face.

“Where are we going?” he asked, receiving a small smile in return from Lucas.

“Well, best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent seat” he explained as he rowed farther and farther until they were in the middle of the lake, the kingdom reflecting on the clear blue water. Jungwoo stared up at the castle before sighing deeply, making Lucas look at him with concern.

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’m terrified” Jungwoo confessed, not looking Lucas in the eyes.

“Why?” Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I’ve been looking out the window for eighteen years; dreaming about what it would feel like when those lights rise in the sky” Jungwoo explained as he ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the castle, brown eyes filled with longing.

“What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?” he continued, still not looking at Lucas. Lucas was quiet for a moment before his face softened.

“It will be” he assured. Jungwoo huffed as he turned to look at the archdemon.

“And what if it is? What do I do then?” he asked. Lucas looked down in thought before he looked up at Jungwoo.

“Well, that’s the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream” he replied. Jungwoo looked at him for a moment before a small smile grew on his face and he hummed at the thought.

~*~*~*~*~

Inside the castle, the King and Queen were getting ready for the floating lights ceremony, in honor of their son. The Queen walked over to the King and fixed his livery collar so that his crest of the sun was not hidden by his robes. The Queen looked up at her husband, the soft smile on her face instantly turning into a frown when she saw how distraught her husband looked. She reached up and gently caressed his face, seeing tears pool in his eyes. She gently smiled and wiped away the falling tears with her other hand before the King took it in his own and squeezed it lovingly. They then stepped out onto the balcony, where a single lantern stamped with the same sun that the King wore on his livery collar. They looked at each other, sadness in their eyes as they lifted the lantern up into the air, hoping that their lost prince would see it and come home.

~*~*~*~*~

As the King and Queen’s lantern rose into the air, the rest of the kingdom lifted their lanterns as well, joining in the King and Queen’s celebration. Down on the water, Jungwoo was making little ripples in the water with his finger while Lucas watched with soft, almost kind eyes. When Jungwoo finished making the last ripple, he saw the first small glow of the lantern float into the sky, and he stared at it before his eyes widened and he looked towards the castle.

“Holy shit…Lucas, look!” he exclaimed. Lucas looked up and when he saw the lantern, his eyes widened as well.

“Is that—” he started as Jungwoo looked back at him, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

“It is!” he exclaimed as he scrambled around in the boat, nearly knocking Lucas overboard so he could get a better glimpse at the lanterns he had been dreaming about for years. As he stared at the lanterns that rose high and higher into the sky, tears began to fill his eyes as his dream was finally coming true. As the lantern continued to rise, more and more lanterns began to rise into the air as citizens of the kingdom released them, some from ships, others from the marketplace, they were all around. Jungwoo let out a joyful sob as he watched the lanterns rise, lighting up the night sky.

“Woah” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. As he continued to stare at the sky, he noticed something soft and glowing out of the corner of his eye, so he turned to see Lucas holding up two lanterns, motioning with them as to silently ask, “Do you want to?” Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he quickly sat down in front of him, looking at him in shock.

“Lucas—” he started when Lucas smiled softly.

“I know how important this day was to you, so I just thought—” he started when Jungwoo grinned brightly, more tears streaming down his face.

“Of course I do” he whispered. Lucas smiled as he handed one of the lanterns over to Jungwoo.

“On three?” he asked softly. Jungwoo nodded.

“On three” he agreed. Lucas smiled.

“One…” he counted.

“Two…” Jungwoo continued. He and Lucas then looked at one another, both breaking into smiles.

“Three” they murmured at the same time, lifting their lanterns into the air to join the thousands of others. As the lanterns rose, they began to twirl around each other, almost as if they were dancing. Lucas looked up at the lights, eyes full of wonder, before looking down at Jungwoo, his entire expression softening as he watched the young man watch the lanterns with such enthusiasm.

“Lucas, look!” Jungwoo exclaimed, drawing Lucas out of his thoughts as he turned to see Jungwoo pointing to a lantern that had floated close to their boat, one that was stamped with the insignia of the kingdom. Jungwoo smiled as he gently reached out and took the lantern in his palm before pushing it back into the air, smiling brightly. Lucas looked at the expression on his face, feeling something in his chest that he never felt before. He then looked down at Jungwoo’s hand before taking it, squeezing gently. Jungwoo looked over at him before his eyes widened and he smiled brightly, taking both of Lucas’s hands in his before he faced the man.

“Thank you” he whispered. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“For what?” he asked, genuinely confused. Jungwoo smiled.

“For everything” he replied, removing one hand from Lucas’s, motioning to the lanterns around them. Lucas blinked before he let out a soft chuckle.

“You’re welcome” he replied, squeezing Jungwoo’s hand gently. Jungwoo smiled brightly at him, feeling something strange…something he had never felt before. The two men remained quiet as they stared at one another, smiling fondly, never wanting this moment to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	13. So Close, Yet So Far

Lucas then took his free hand and reached up, caressing Jungwoo’s cheek before leaning in to kiss him. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sickly green light, so he glanced over to see Hendery and Xiaojun standing on the shore, Hendery holding up a sickly green lantern. His eyes widened and he quickly pulled away, completely killing the mood. Jungwoo frowned but waved off his disappointment by replacing it with an air of concern.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. Lucas continued to look towards the shore until he shook his head and looked back at Jungwoo.

“I’m sorry, everything is fine” he assured with a thin smile before he picked up the oar and began to row towards the shore, a frown still on Jungwoo’s face. Once they reached the beach, Lucas stood to his feet before looking back at Jungwoo.

“There’s just something I have to take care of” he explained as he stepped out of the boat. Jungwoo nodded slowly.

“Okay” he replied. Lucas smiled gratefully.

“I’ll be right back” he promised. Jungwoo nodded again before Lucas slipped away from the boat, making him sigh.

_‘So close, yet so far’_ he thought to himself.

~*~*~*~*~

Lucas then walked up the shore until he was standing before Hendery and Xiaojun, absolutely furious.

“What do you two want? You should be dead” he spat. Hendery chuckled while Xiaojun remained silent.

“What do we want? Well, first off, we want the crown” Hendery stated. Lucas growled as he took the satchel that he had around his chest off and tossed it at Xiaojun, who caught it easily.

“There, you have your damn crown. Now get the hell out of here” he ordered before he turned to walk back to where Jungwoo was waiting for him.

“Ah, ah, ah, Xu Xi, you’re holding out on us again!” Hendery called out. Lucas froze and turned around, narrowing his eyes at them.

“What?” he asked slowly. Hendery smirked.

“We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown” he replied as he walked up to Lucas, getting right up in his face, while Xiaojun remained behind, clutching the satchel tightly.

“We want him instead” he growled. Lucas’s eyes widened. _Jungwoo._

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the boat, Jungwoo was waiting patiently when he turned and saw a figure walk towards him in the fog, making him let out a breath of relief.

“I was starting to think you ran off and left me” he called out to the figure. As he continued to watch, the figure suddenly split into two people and Jungwoo’s eyes widened before he frowned.

“He did” Hendery stated as he and Xiaojun stepped through the fog. Jungwoo’s frown deepened.

“What? No. He wouldn’t” he argued. Hendery just chuckled as he motioned with a thumb to the lake.

“See for yourself” he stated. Jungwoo turned to see Lucas on a ship heading back towards the castle, the crown in his hand. His eyes widened.

“Lucas?” he called out. When Lucas didn’t answer, he started to panic.

“LUCAS!” he shouted. While he was panicking, Hendery cracked his knuckles while Xiaojun chuckled softly.

“Fair trade: a crown for the boy with magic powers” Hendery mused before he looked over at Xiaojun and nudged him.

“How much do you think someone will pay to stay young and healthy forever?” he asked. Before Xiaojun could answer, Jungwoo shook his head and jumped out of the boat.

“No, please” he begged as he began to back away from the two thugs, but Hendery just ignored his pleas and walked toward him, pulling a large burlap sack out of his back pocket. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he ran off, not looking behind him.

“NO” he shouted as he ran away, only to trip over a large piece of driftwood and twist his ankle. He clutched at it, afraid that Hendery and Xiaojun were still coming after him

“NO!” he shouted again. Just then, he heard two loud thumps, which made him stop trembling. 

“JUNGWOO?” a voice called out, making Jungwoo’s eyes widen as he picked himself up, standing shakily on his feet, wincing slightly as his ankle twanged in pain.

“Taeyong?” he called out as he limped towards where he thought he heard Taeyong’s voice. When he found him, he was holding a large piece of wood in his hands while Hendery and Xiaojun were at his feet, unconscious.

“Oh, my precious boy” Taeyong breathed as he ran over to Jungwoo and hugged him tightly. Jungwoo hugged him back just as tightly, relieved as hell.

“Taeyong” he breathed. Taeyong then pulled away and patted Jungwoo all over, looking very concerned.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” he demanded. Jungwoo shook his head, never mentioning his ankle. He could heal that later. He then stared at him with confused brown eyes.

“How did you—” he started.

“I was so worried about you, dear. So, I followed you and I saw them attack you” Taeyong explained, interrupting him. He then began to gently drag him away, looking around with a scared expression on his face.

“Let’s go, before they come to” he whispered. Jungwoo nodded and followed after him, head hanging low.

“You were right, Taeyong. You were right about everything” he whispered as he looked out once more towards the lake, towards where Lucas was sailing away. Taeyong sighed sadly.

“I know, Jungwoo. I know” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Back at the castle, one of the guards was standing watch when they noticed a boat floating towards them. His eyes widened when the boat came into focus and there at the wheel was Lucas, tied to the mast and wheel, crown in his hand.

“Look! The crown” the guard exclaimed. 

“Jungwoo” Lucas murmured, slowly waking himself up. Once he was finally awake and noticed that he was tied to the boat, crown in hand, he began struggling, trying to get out.

“JUNGWOO!” he shouted, looking around, trying to find the man while the guards rushed down to the boat and pulled him out, yanking the crown away from him. They then handcuffed him and took him into the palace dungeon.

“Wait, wait, wait! Guys, guys!” Lucas exclaimed as he struggled against the guards.

“Jungwoo!” he shouted for the third time, wondering where the young man was.

“Let’s get this over with, Huang” one of the guards snapped. Lucas looked over at him and frowned.

“Where are we going?” he asked before he turned his head to the right and saw a single wooden gallows sitting in the moonlight. His eyes widened as his face fell.

“Oh…” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!
> 
> Also, fucking go listen to Dream's Ridin'. Fucking go listen to it right now. Stream it everywhere. Go. Right now.


	14. I'm the Bad Guy

Up in the tower, in Jungwoo’s room, Taeyong held Jungwoo as he sobbed his heart out and once he had gotten all of his emotions out, Taeyong took a handkerchief and wiped the tears away, smiling slightly.

“There, it never happened” he declared before he clapped his hands and stood up, walking towards the door.

“Now, wash up for dinner. I’m making hazel nut soup” he stated, trying to cheer Jungwoo up, but when he saw how heartbroken Jungwoo was, he sighed and shook his head.

“I really did try, Jungwoo. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it” he snapped before he spun on his heels and walked out of room, leaving Jungwoo alone on his bed, feeling alone and dejected. He then opened his palms and stared down at the purple flag with the sun on it that Lucas bought for him, smiling softly at it as he flopped onto his back, clutching it to his chest. As he stared up at the canopy above him, a thoughtful look came over his face and he frowned, lifting the flag from his chest, holding it above his eyes. He stared at the sun, then pulled down a corner, looked back up at the canopy, put the flag back in place, then lowered the flag as a look of confusion came over his face. He then pushed himself off his back and stared at the canopy, eyes widening as he saw golden suns all over the fabric. He shook his head in shock as he hopped out of bed and stared at the ceiling when suddenly, his mind flashed back to staring up at a mobile hanging above him with a golden sun design. His flashback eyes then turned to the right and he saw a blurry image of two people, a man and a woman. The flashback ended and suddenly Jungwoo’s mind when back to the memory of the mosaic of the Queen and King, holding a little baby boy with blond hair and bright brown eyes. That flashback ended as Jungwoo’s mind went back to when Jungwoo tried on the crown and suddenly, like a ton of bricks, it hit him. He let out a loud gasp and staggered backwards, crashing into his dresser.

~*~*~*~*~

In the dungeon, as the guards dragged Lucas towards the gallows, they passed by a large cell where Hendery and Xiaojun were being kept. Lucas’s eyes widened and he let out a soft snarl before he knocked his head into one guard and shouldered the other away. He then jumped into the air and moved his arms from behind his back towards his front as he surged over to the cage, slamming against the cell, trying to get at his old partners.

“How did you know about him? Tell me, now!” he roared, grabbing the lapels of Hendery’s shirt and slamming him into the cell bars, eyes flicking to black. Hendery’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“It wasn’t us. It was the old man” he explained. Lucas blinked in surprise before his eyes widened.

“Old man” he repeated to himself as the guards suddenly up to him and yanked him away from the cell, dragging him back on the path towards the gallows.

“Wait, no, wait! You don’t understand, he’s in trouble! Wait!” he exclaimed as he was dragged away.

~*~*~*~*~

“Jungwoo?” Taeyong called out as he began to walk up the stairs to Jungwoo’s room.

“Jungwoo, what’s going on up there?” he called as Jungwoo was still in his room, panting heavily.

“Are you alright?” Taeyong asked as Jungwoo came to the door and clutched the curtains that acted as his door tightly.

“I’m the lost prince” he murmured to himself, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. Taeyong frowned.

“Please, speak up Jungwoo. You know how I hate the mumbling” he snapped.

“I’m the lost prince” Jungwoo repeated before he glared down at Taeyong.

“Aren’t I?” he asked. Taeyong’s eyes widened as Jungwoo straightened to his full height.

“Did I fucking mumble, Father? Or should I even call you that?” he snarled. Taeyong continued to stare at him before he let out a laugh and waved off the question. 

“Jungwoo, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?” he asked, opening his arms to envelope him when Jungwoo shoved him away.

“It was you! It was all you!” he exclaimed. Taeyong’s eyes narrowed and he too straightened himself to his full height.

“Everything I did was to protect you” he stated. Jungwoo gave him a look of disgust before he shoved him out of his way and began to storm down the stairs.

“Jungwoo!” Taeyong called out.

“I spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power—” Jungwoo ranted as he continued down the stairs.

“Jungwoo!” Taeyong shouted this time, trying to keep up with him.

“—when I should have been hiding…from you” he sneered as he reached the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at Taeyong, who was just a few stairs above him.

“Where will you go? He won’t be there for you” Taeyong stated, knowing Jungwoo’s weakness. Jungwoo’s eyes widened in horror when he realized who Taeyong was talking about.

“What did you do to him?” he demanded. Taeyong smirked.

“That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes” he explained. Jungwoo gasped and took a step back.

“No!” he exclaimed. Taeyong quickly walked down the stairs and circled Jungwoo, ending up in front of him.

“Now now, it’s alright. Listen to me: all of this is as it should be” he soothed, reaching up to pat Jungwoo’s head.

“NO!” Jungwoo roared, clutching Taeyong’s wrist tightly in his hand, refusing to let him touch him. Taeyong’s eyes widened and he tried to struggle out of Jungwoo’s grip, but the man was much stronger than he thought.

“You were _wrong_ about the world. And you were _wrong_ about _me._ And I will _never_ let you use my powers again!” Jungwoo exclaimed, just as Taeyong finally yanked his hand out of Jungwoo’s grip, stumbling backwards until he bumped into a mirror and knocked it over, shattering the glass. He looked down at the shattered glass, panting hard, before he looked up at Jungwoo, whose chin was held high as he glared down at him before he walked away. Taeyong watched him leave before he straightened himself up, eyes flashing red.

“You want me to be the bad guy? Find. Now I’m the bad guy” he growled as he stalked after Jungwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	15. Rescuing Jungwoo

Lucas continued to fight against the guards as they dragged him down the hall, an angry, snarling mess, as he tried to break free, because he would not die without going down in a fight, especially because he knew Jungwoo was in danger. Finally, the guards came upon a locked door, and as the captain was trying to open it, Lucas snarled and unfurled his wings, using them as giant arms to knock the guards against the wall, knocking them unconscious.

_‘_ _Stupid fools. They should have put chains around my torso, not just my hands’_ he thought to himself as the captain turned back to look at him, eyes wide with shock.

“What the—” he started when the locked door suddenly opened and Kun appeared, frying pan in his hand. He then whacked the man over the head, smirking as he went down, before he looked up at Lucas, shaking his head.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes” he murmured, just as more guards burst out of a door and ran down the hallway towards them. Lucas snarled as he yanked his wrists apart, breaking his chains before he unfurled his wings and flew at the guards, knocking them down with strong punches to the face. Once the guards were taken care of, Kun motioned for him to follow him out into the courtyard, just as guards began to run down the stairs towards them.

“You don’t have much time! That door over there will you straight out of here. Go!” Kun shouted. Lucas nodded, quickly running towards the door where Kun told him to go. Just as he burst through the door, he found Doyoung and Taeil waiting for him, looks of relief on their faces.

“Lucas” Doyoung breathed as Lucas ran over to them, panting heavily.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“We were the ones who called Kun” Taeil replied. Lucas looked at him in shock before he smiled.

“Thank you” he replied gratefully. Taeil smiled back, nodding, just as the door behind them suddenly slammed open and three guards with crossbows ran out. Lucas looked over his shoulder at them, eyes wide, but before he even moved, Taeil raised a hand and snapped his fingers, disintegrating the soldiers into dust. Lucas blinked in shock before he looked over at Taeil with wide eyes.

“You’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeves” Taeil teased. Lucas blinked again before he laughed and shook his head.

“Now what?” he asked. Taeil motioned for him to follow him as he took off down the path, just as more guards began to pour out of the door towards them. As they continued to run, Doyoung noticed that the path that they were running on was quickly running out.

“Um, Taeil?” he called out. Taeil just ignored him and continued to run before he jumped off the castle, the others following his lead as they fell through the air and slid down the terracotta shingles of the village houses. Once they had landed on the ground, they all looked at one another before they all burst into laughter. After they had schooled their laughter, Lucas cleared his throat.

“Alrightd, let’s go save Jungwoo” he declared. Doyoung and Taeil nodded as Lucas unfurled his wings and shot off into the air, flying towards the forest. Taeil and Doyoung also unfurled their wings and shot into the air, following behind Lucas even though Doyoung knew the way to the tower, and soon they were flying over the marketplace and out of the kingdom, flying over the cobblestone bridge towards Jungwoo’s tower.

~*~*~*~*~

Lucas, Doyoung, and Taeil flew through the air, over the bridge and into the forest, heading straight for Jungwoo’s tower. The three supernatural beings flew long and hard until they burst through the hanging vines that covered the entrance to the tunnel that led to Jungwoo’s tower. Lucas then quickly flew over to the tower, a look of fear on his face. Doyoung quickly flew over to him, a look of fear on his face as well.

“Something doesn’t feel right” he whispered. Lucas nodded, not taking his eyes off the tower.

“Jungwoo! Jungwoo, let down the rope” he called out. When there was no answer, Lucas shot up the side of the tower, flapping his wings hard, when suddenly the rope came flying down to meet him. He let out a sigh of relief as he grabbed the rope and landed against the tower, folding his wings against his back as he began to climb all the way to the top. Once he finally reached the window and stepped inside, his eyes widened and he let out a gasp at the sight before him: Jungwoo, on the floor, hands bound by chains behind his back with a gag in his mouth. When Jungwoo saw him, his eyes widened and he struggled forward.

“Lucas!” he screamed, but Lucas couldn’t understand what he was saying, since the gag was making it difficult for him to speak. While Lucas was focused on Jungwoo, he didn’t see Taeyong sneak up behind him, dagger in hand, and stab him in the lower back.

“Lucas!” Jungwoo screamed again as Lucas fell to the floor, clutching his gut, while Taeyong looked down at him in disgust.

“Now look what you did, Jungwoo” he sneered before he looked up at Jungwoo, eyes glowing red.

“Oh, don’t worry dear, our secret will die with him” he declared before he stepped over Lucas’s body and walked over to Jungwoo, grabbing the chains and yanking him towards the trap door in the floor.

“And as for us? We are going where no one will ever find you again” he snarled. As he was dragging Jungwoo towards the door, Jungwoo was struggling against him, trying to get to Lucas. Doyoung soon landed on the balcony of the tower and when he saw Jungwoo in chains and Lucas on the floor, his eyes widened in horror before they hardened and he rushed towards Taeyong.

“Let him go!” he snarled, eyes glowing gold. When Taeyong saw him, he just smirked and dropped the chains, pulling the bloody dagger out from its sheath.

“Oh look Jungwoo, another victim” he purred as he slashed at Doyoung, who jumped back to just barely avoid the attack. Just then, Taeil landed on the balcony and when he saw Taeyong attacking Doyoung, his eyes glowed red as he rushed at Taeyong, snarling.

“Don’t touch him” he growled, punching Taeyong in the face. Taeyong snarled in pain and turned his attention towards Taeil, allowing Doyoung to slip over to Jungwoo and undo the chains. Just as he had slipped the chains off Jungwoo’s hand, Taeyong noticed out of the corner of his eye what he was doing, so he spun around and threw the knife, piercing Doyoung in the back, causing his eyes to widen and his mouth to open in shock before he collapsed to the tower floor.

“Doyoung!” Taeil cried out when he saw the archangel on the floor, blood trickling out of his mouth. He then glared at Taeyong and snarled before he began attack him with the full extent of his power and anger. Taeyong blocked a few of his attacks before he threw out a hand, sending Taeil flying into Jungwoo’s wardrobe, knocking him unconscious. When Jungwoo saw Lucas and Doyoung lying on the tower floor, bleeding out, and Taeil was also lying on the ground, unconscious, something stirred within him, something that he had never felt before and the feeling continued to grow and grow until it consumed him and suddenly magic exploded from his body, swirling around the tower in glowing fury. Taeyong’s eyes widened and he had to cover his face to protect himself from Jungwoo’s wrathful magic. When he looked over at the young man, he saw that Jungwoo’s eyes were glowing white and he was standing, magic and fury pulsing from him.

“Jungwoo, really. Enough already. Stop fighting me!” Taeyong shouted as he still covered his face. Jungwoo narrowed his glowing eyes at him before he snarled.

**“** **NO! I won’t stop for every minute, for the rest of my life I will fight. I will** ** _never_** **stop trying to get away from you”** he growled, power echoing from his voice. He then took a deep breath, composing himself, but magic still swirled around the tower, since he was still furious at Taeyong for what he had done. 

**“** **But, if you let me save them…I will go with you”** he offered. From where he was lying on his side, Lucas shook his head.

“No. No Jungwoo” he moaned but Jungwoo ignored him.

**“I’ll** **never run; I’ll never try to escape. Just let me heal them and you and I will be together. Forever, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just let me** ** _heal_** **them”** he commanded. Taeyong looked at him from behind his arms, red eyes glowing.

~*~*~*~*~

“Just in case you get any ideas about following us” Taeyong snarled as he chained Lucas to the stairs as magic still swirled around the tower. He then stormed off as Jungwoo ran over to Lucas, gently cupping the man’s face in his hand as he brushed his bangs out of his face with his thumb.

**“** **Lucas!”** he exclaimed.

“Ah!” Lucas groaned as he clutched at his wound, making Jungwoo move his attention away from Lucas’s face to his wound. He then slowly reached out, moving Lucas’s hand away so that he could take a look, and winced. The wound was large and the blood was spreading rapidly.

**“** **Shit, shit, shit”** he cursed as he moved to place his hands over the wound.

**“** **Everything is going to be okay in a moment”** he assured. Lucas shook his head, trying to push Jungwoo’s hands away.

“No…Jungwoo” he groaned.

**“** **I promise; you have to trust me”** Jungwoo begged. Lucas shook his head again as he looked into Jungwoo’s glowing eyes.

“No…I can’t…let you do this” he murmured. Tears began to fill Jungwoo’s glowing eyes as he looked down at the archdemon.

**“** **But I can’t let you do die”** he whimpered. Lucas shook his head for the third time.

“But if you do this…” he started.

**“** **Shhh”** Jungwoo hushed.

“Then you…will die” Lucas panted. Jungwoo smiled a very teary smile as he reached out and placed a hand on Lucas’s cheek.

**“** **Hey. It’s gonna be alright”** he soothed as he moved to place his hand over Lucas’s wound, shutting his eyes. Lucas shook his head once more as he reached up, caressing Jungwoo’s cheek.

“Jungwoo…wait…” he murmured. Jungwoo opened his eyes, looking down at him, and before he could do or say anything, Lucas pulled manacles attached to each other by alternating links of silver and gold out of his pocket and clamped them over Jungwoo’s wrists with a blinding flash of blue light. Jungwoo’s eyes widened when suddenly an inhuman scream tore from his throat as the white-hot agony of his magic being stripped away rippled through him. He looked at Lucas, then down at the manacles, then back up at Lucas as the magic in the room suddenly disappeared and everything became still.

“Lucas…what…” he cried, staring at the dying man.

“NOOOO!” Taeyong screamed as another shock of magic-stripping magic was sent through Jungwoo’s body, causing the man to collapse on the floor in a set of convulsions before falling unconscious.

“No…NO! What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Taeyong shouted as he transformed from a handsome man into an ugly old hermit with wrinkly skin and gray-white hair. He then raced over to the broken mirror and when he saw himself, he let out a loud moan.

“No, no, no” he moaned as he yanked his hood over his head and began moaning and stumbling around the tower, heading straight for the window. As he was stumbling around, Taeil was slowly waking up from his unconsciousness and when he saw Taeyong heading for the window, he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the man, shoving him backwards, causing him to fall out of the window towards the ground.

“NOOO!” Taeyong screamed before he hit the ground, disintegrating into dust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	16. Reunited at Last

Once Taeil had shoved Taeyong out the window, he ran over to Doyoung’s still body and touched his neck, trying to find a pulse.

“Doyoung…Doyoung” he whispered. When the young man didn’t stir, he growled and looked over at Jungwoo, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. He then ran over to him and began to shake him by the shoulders.

“Jungwoo!” he growled. Jungwoo was still before he awoke with a start.

“What the—” he started, looking up at Taeil with wide eyes.

“Doyoung is dying and I don’t know what to do” Taeil exclaimed. Jungwoo’s eyes widened, just as he remembered that Lucas was dying as well.

“Bring him” he ordered. Taeil nodded and stood to his feet, running over to where Doyoung was lying, deathly pale. He then carefully picked the archangel up before bringing him over to Jungwoo, placing him next to Lucas as Jungwoo crawled over to the two bodies and knelt before them, tears in his eyes as he looked at the two men.

“Oh God…I’m so sorry” he whispered, just as Lucas coughed, opening his eyes slightly.

“Lucas! Oh Lucas, look at me, look I’m right here. Don’t go, stay with me Lucas” Jungwoo pleaded, placing his manacled hands over Lucas’s wounds. He then shut his eyes and concentrated, desperately trying to heal the man he had fallen in love with. When his magic wasn’t working on Lucas, he moved onto Doyoung, placing his hands on his best friend, hoping that his time his magic would work. When nothing happened, Jungwoo let out a cry of frustration.

“Nothing’s working!” he cried. Taeil growled and opened his mouth to say something when Lucas reached up and gently placed a hand on Jungwoo’s face, gaining his attention.

“Jungwoo” he whispered.

“What?” Jungwoo choked as tears fell down his cheeks. Lucas smiled weakly.

“You were my new dream” he breathed. Jungwoo let out a sob.

“And you were mine” he answered. Lucas’s smile widened ever so slightly before his face went slack and he slumped, no longer breathing. Jungwoo’s eyes widened, more tears streaming down his face as he stared down at Lucas’s still body. He then looked over at Doyoung’s pale body, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

“Doyoung?” he whispered, but Doyoung didn’t even stir. Taeyong’s knife throw to the back hit his lung, puncturing it and causing it to fill quickly with blood, killing him. Jungwoo let out a whimper before he looked up at Taeil, letting out a sob.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry” he sobbed, manacles clanking as he moved his hands to cover his face as he began to sob. Taeil looked at the young man with sadness in his eyes; he felt terrible that Jungwoo had to watch both Doyoung and Lucas die for his sake. He wanted to say something, to try and comfort him, but since he didn’t know what to say, he thought that a half-hearted apology would mean nothing. As Jungwoo continued to cry, Taeil noticed that an aura had surrounded Jungwoo and before he could say anything, Jungwoo’s head snapped back, eyes glowing white as the aura suddenly exploded around him, knocking Taeil unconscious again as the magic began to swirl around the tower until it slowly began to close in around Doyoung and Lucas before it seeped into their skin, a small glowing flower blooming from their wounds before slowly fading back into their bodies. Jungwoo then let out a gasp as the magic with him released its hold on him, allowing him to come back to reality. He then looked down at Lucas and Doyoung, noticing that their skin had returned to their normal color and that they no longer looked, well, dead. The first person to wake up from their slumber was Doyoung, who looked around in shock before he looked at Jungwoo with wide brown eyes. When they made eye contact, Doyoung quickly shot up and pulled Jungwoo into a hug, burying his face into his neck, sobbing. Jungwoo tried really hard not to cry but having Doyoung hugging him was so nice that he couldn’t help it; he buried his face into Doyoung’s neck, since he still had the manacles on, and they hugged for what seemed like forever until a throat cleared from behind them. Both men turned to see Taeil sitting behind them, a small smile on his face. Doyoung let out a gasp and pulled away from Jungwoo, giving the man a brief squeeze on the shoulder before he turned towards Taeil and threw himself at the demon, hugging him tightly as he buried his face in the man’s chest. Taeil blinked before he smiled and hugged Doyoung back, burying his nose in the archangel’s hair. Jungwoo smiled slightly before he looked back at Lucas, smile fading when the man didn’t stir.

“Lucas?” he whispered. When Lucas didn’t respond, Jungwoo felt like he was going to burst into tears again when the archdemon let out a gasp, looking around in shock.

“Lucas?!” Jungwoo whispered, hope filling his voice. Lucas blinked before he looked up at Jungwoo, confusion on his face.

“Jungwoo?” he asked cautiously. Jungwoo let out a happy sob, making Lucas smile.

“Did I ever tell you I have a thing for people with brown eyes?” he murmured. Jungwoo blushed furiously and was about to hug the man when he remembered that he still had the manacles on. Lucas noticed and smiled softly as he pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked Jungwoo’s wrists, which Jungwoo rubbed, trying to get some feeling back into them, before he threw his arms around Lucas.

“LUCAS!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him, sobbing as he hugged him tightly. He then pulled back, looking Lucas in the eyes, glowering at him.

“Never fucking do that again” he growled as he grabbed Lucas’s lapels and kissed him. Lucas’s eyes widened before he smiled and leaned into the kiss, running his fingers through Jungwoo’s hair, pulling him closer.

~*~*~*~*~

In the kingdom, the Queen was sitting in her chair reading a book while the King was staring out of a window, a solemn look on his face. While they were relaxing (if you could call it that) a guard bursted through the door, panting heavily. The King turned away from the window and Queen stood to her feet, eyes wide as they stared at the guard. The guard nodded and the King and Queen looked at each other before dashing out of the room towards the balcony doors. They paused, looked at each other one last time, then pushed open the door. Before they stood Lucas and Jungwoo, holding hands as they looked out over the kingdom. The two men then turned in sync as the King and Queen stared at them. The Queen then took a step forward as Jungwoo removed his hand from Lucas’s and took a step forward as well. The two continued to walk towards each other, a sense of nervousness between them. The Queen then continued to walk towards Jungwoo until she was standing in front of him, reaching out to cup his face. She then smiled as tears came to her eyes and Jungwoo smiled as well, tears also coming to his eyes. The Queen then pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder. Jungwoo then looked up to see the King standing behind, tears also in his eyes. The King then let out a choked laugh before he wrapped his arms around his wife and his son and the three of them sank to their knees, arms wrapped around each other in the tightest hug Lucas had ever seen. While he was smiling down fondly at the sight, the Queen looked up and held out her hand to him. Lucas took her hand in his and he thought she was going to shake it, but instead she yanked him down into the hug. Lucas’s eyes widened at the strength of her embrace, but he didn’t say anything and just melted into the hug, grateful to be included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	17. Happily Ever After

A few days later, once the kingdom was informed that Jungwoo had come home, they threw an enormous party that lasted an entire week. Everyone in the kingdom came out, even those just outside of the kingdom, like Kun and his patrons. All around, music and laughter could be heard and off to the side, Lucas watched with warmth in his eyes as Taeil and Doyoung stood between two rows of guards who were standing at attention. Doyoung then cleared his throat and snapped his fingers, making all of the men quickly raise their arms, frying pans in their hands. Taeil smiled and looked over at Doyoung, nodding, before they walked in between rows, inspecting each man, when Taeil came upon an empty space in his row. His eyes narrowed and he growled, but luckily the missing man quickly ran into the place, bowing in apology. Taeil growled again, but thankfully Doyoung was there to place a hand on his arm, calming him down. Taeil huffed before he nodded to the soldier, silently forgiving the missing man before he and Doyoung continued down the rows, inspecting the men. Lucas then turned away and watched as Jungwoo walked over his mother and father, smiling brightly as they placed his crown on top of his head before hugging him tightly. Lucas smiled softly as he continued to watch as Jungwoo’s parents pulled away and waved goodbye, heading over to other royals as Jungwoo turned to see a little girl holding up a blue flower to him, which made him smile brightly as he knelt down, taking the flower from her. He then placed the flower behind the little girl’s ear, gently caressing her cheek when the little girl suddenly leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly. Jungwoo let out a laugh and returned her hug before he looked up to see Lucas smiling fondly at him, looking all handsome in his freshly washed brown hair, white cotton long sleeve shirt, black uniform jacket with buckles, khaki uniform pants and black leather boots. Jungwoo blushed as he gave the girl back to her mother, waving goodbye to them before he calmly walked through the crowds until he came to stand before Lucas, who was still smiling fondly at him.

“How are you holding up?” the archdemon asked. Jungwoo shrugged in reply.

“Fine…but I am getting tired” admitted. Lucas smiled as he reached out and pulled Jungwoo into a hug, holding him tightly. Jungwoo let out a sigh as he nearly melted into the hug, wrapping his arms around Lucas’s waist.

“Thank you” he murmured. Lucas chuckled and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Jungwoo’s hair.

“Of course, Your Highness” he whispered. Jungwoo pulled away slightly and looked up at him, eyes narrowed, before he smirked.

“You know, in a few days, you’re going to be a royal too, right?” he asked. Lucas chuckled and nodded.

“I know” he replied. Just then, Jungwoo noticed that his head felt significantly lighter than it was a minute ago, so he looked up at Lucas, eyes narrowing again.

“Lucas…where’s my crown?” he asked slowly. Lucas chuckled and held up the crown that he had stolen a few weeks ago.

“Oh, you mean this?” he teased. Jungwoo huffed.

“You bastard” he grumbled. Lucas smiled as he placed Jungwoo’s crown back on his head, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead afterwards. 

“Language” he teased. Jungwoo shook his head and sighed.

“Why did I agree to marry you?” he murmured. Lucas chuckled.

“Because you love me” he reminded. Jungwoo let out a soft chuckle as he looked into Lucas’s eyes, his own eyes glowing gold.

“I do” he replied softly. Lucas smiled, eyes flicking to black, before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jungwoo’s, smiling into the kiss when he heard Jungwoo let out a little moan. The two kissed until they finally had to pull away, both needing air. As they sucked in their much needed air, they looked into one another’s eyes, fond smiles on their faces. Jungwoo then turned around and took a step back so that he was resting against Lucas’s front, a content smile on his face. Lucas chuckled, making Jungwoo giggle since he could feel the laugh reverberating in Lucas’s chest, and wrapped his arms around Jungwoo’s waist, holding him against him as they watched the kingdom celebrate Jungwoo’s return (and his engagement to Lucas). After all they had been through, they both deserved a happily ever after. And it seemed like the universe agreed.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe! Please also check out some of my other works, I would really appreciate it!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this new story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


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